From Press Release Materials
Coast Guard crews were on hand in New Bedford Harbor on Wednesday, 8/16, overseeing a fuel spill cleanup caused when a fishing vessel sank at the pier off Hervey Tichon Ave.
The captain from the tugboat Realist called Coast Guard Sector Southeastern watchstanders around 3:50 a.m. reporting that the 62-foot fishing vessel Challenge had sunk at the pier and was actively discharging fuel.
Challenge carried approximately 7,000 gallons of fuel.
A crew from Marine Safety Detachment New Bedford arrived on scene, along with crews from New Bedford Fire and Police departments, and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and double boomed the vessel.
The fuel spill spread about 1.5 miles into Fairhaven.
The owner of Challenge hired a commercial oil recovery company to cleanup the spill.
The cause of the vessel sinking is currently under investigation.
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Boom and absorbent pads deployed in New Bedford Harbor, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, when the fishing vessel Challenge sank at the pier and started discharging fuel. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Lynn Schrayshuen)
Fishing vessel Challenge at the pier in New Bedford Harbor, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Lynn Schrayshuen)
