AMERICAN CHALLENGER

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Wreck to be dismantled with money from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund

The U.S. Coast Guard’ has authorized use of federal dollars from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to dismantle the 'American Challenger', grounded on the rocks off the Marin Coast. The wreck listing sharply in a rugged offshore area below steep bluffs unsafe for divers and most standard salvage approaches in a very active surf area even when the weather’s good. The Global Diving and Salvage Inc. has been contracted to remove the vessel. As of last summer, public agencies had spent more than $2.3 million to inspect and secure the vessel and protect the surrounding environment. Most of the fuel had been drained before its departure from the Puget Sound. An initial plan to pump it full of buoyant, expanding foam and float it off the rocks was dismissed because of how badly battered and punctured the hull is. The current plan, developed last summer, includes rigging a block-and-tackle system to pull the vessel closer to shore and then cut it into pieces that can be hauled away by helicopter and barge. The plan needs to be reviewed and re-evaluated given movement of the vessel over winter. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will begin assessing the vessel’s current status this week through unmanned drone flights, as part of the evaluation of the plan for dismantling it.

Wreck removal delayed

The 'American Challenger' has listed more sharply since it ran aground on March 5 off the northern Marin coast. Officials have now determined that it would be unsafe even for contract crews to board the vessel to weatherproof it for winter. A complex plan to dismantle it offshore and haul away the pieces is stalled in Washington, awaiting expected approval from the U.S. Coast Guard commandant. Officials had earlier described a plan to inject the hull with foam and refloat the vessel so it could be towed away. But it later was determined there were too many punctures in the steel for that to be feasible. The new plan includes rigging a specialized block-and-tackle pulley system that allows the vessel to be moved closer to shore, then cutting off pieces of the vessel by helicopter and bringing them to the top of the bluff for transport to Mare Island. The wreckage would be cut as close to the waterline as is safe before the hull itself is dismantled and carried ashore. The problem of funding the operation appears to have been overcome, however, through a decision to tap the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, though the increased cost means the commandant’s review and approval were necessary. Since dismantling of a vessel doesn’t strictly fall within the Coast Guard’s authority, it requires careful review, taking into account an analysis of net environmental benefits, cost and other legal implications. Report with photo and video: https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/news/salvage-of-grounded-fishing-vessel-delayed-but-officials-promise-removal-o/

Grounded vessel to be removed

The 'American Challenger' which grounded on March 6 near Bodega Bay in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will be removed in summer. Planning work was slated to begin next week with vessel removal operations later this summer. Funding for the removal and disposal comes from the federal government’s Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and Region 9 of the Environmental Protection Agency. Officials from the Unified Command from the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response announced Saturday that the vessel will be removed. The Unified Command is committed to successfully removing the threat of pollution by safely and effectively re-floating and relocating the vessel to Lind Marine in Vallejo, where it can be disposed of properly. While the vessel’s steel hull was mostly intact, petroleum products and waste onboard were posing a threat to the environment.