Fishing boat runs aground on Santa Cruz Island; Coast Guard works to contain fuel spill

A fishing vessel ran aground Thursday morning at Santa Cruz Island, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to launch oil cleanup operations, the agency said.

The 60-foot Speranza Marie ran aground around 2 a.m. in Chinese Harbor on the northeastern side of the island. The vessel was carrying six people and approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, the Coast Guard said in a release.

A photo posted on Twitter by Santa Barbara County Fire Department public information officer Scott Safechuck showed the vessel on its left, or port, side near a rocky shoreline.

A “good Samaritan” fishing boat responded to the wreck and transported the six crew members — none of whom was injured — to Ventura, the Coast Guard said in a release.

Cleanup crews were on scene Thursday afternoon, “containing and recovering the diesel fuel,” and salvage operations were underway, the agency said.

The fuel is likely to evaporate quickly, even in the cold weather, the Coast Guard said.

“Diesel fuel is considered a non-persistent oil, compared to a heavier bunker or crude oil product, in even the calmest sea conditions, as it will lose 40% of its volume due to evaporation within 48 hours in cold weather,” the agency said.

“No wildlife impacts have been reported/observed at this time, but crews are monitoring for them,” officials said.

Personnel from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response have been put on standby.

The cause of the wreck is under investigation.