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.