Speranza Maria
Speranza Maria (#106961) (-2022), 60-foot seiner that went aground at Chinese Harbor, Santa Cruz Island on December 15, 2022. Her hull eventually sank in deeper water and was removed by Curtain Marine in January 2023.
In the News~
December 15, 2020 [edhat.com]: “The Coast Guard, state, and local agencies are responding to a fishing vessel that ran aground on Santa Cruz Island Thursday morning. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach watchstanders received a report from Vessel Assist Ventura that the fishing vessel Speranza Marie, a 60-foot fishing vessel with six people aboard and carrying roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, ran aground in Chinese Harbor on Santa Cruz Island at approximately 2 a.m. A good Samaritan fishing vessel responded to the incident and safely transferred the six crewmembers to their boat without injury and transported them to Ventura. Vessel Assist is currently working on salvage operations. The Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip is en route to monitor the situation and provide a safety zone around the incident. The Coast Guard is working with local partners, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the responsible party to create a pollution mitigation and removal plan. Cleanup crews are on-scene containing and recovering the diesel fuel. 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. No wildlife impacts have been reported/observed at this time, but crews are monitoring for them. Trained responders from OSPR have been put on standby and will be activated should they be needed. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
December 15, 2020 [US Times Post]: “A fishing vessel ran aground on Santa Cruz Island Thursday morning, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate oil cleanup operations, the agency said. The 60-foot Speranza Marie ran aground around 2 a.m. in China Harbor on the northeast side of the island. The vessel was carrying six people and approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, the Coast Guard said in a news release. A photo posted on Twitter by Scott Safechuck, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s public information officer, showed the ship 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 were injured — to Ventura, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Clean-up crews were on site Thursday afternoon to “contain and recover the diesel fuel,” and recovery operations were underway, the agency said. The fuel is likely to evaporate quickly even in cold weather, the Coast Guard said. “Diesel fuel is considered an unstable oil compared to a heavier bunker or crude oil product even in the calmest sea conditions because it loses 40% of its volume to evaporation in 48 hours in cold weather,” the agency said. “No wildlife impacts have been reported/observed at this time, but crews are monitoring them,” officials said. Employees from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response have been placed on standby. The cause of the accident is being investigated. ”
December 15, 2020 [US Times Post]: “First responders are working to prevent a spill from a fishing vessel that went aground on Santa Cruz Island, California on Thursday morning. At about 0200, U.S. Coast Guard Sector LA/Long Beach received a call that the fishing vessel Speranza Marie had gone aground in Chinese Harbor, Santa Cruz. Six people were aboard, and they were rescued by another nearby fishing vessel without incident. They were transported safely to Ventura. Cleanup crews are already on scene to ensure containment and recover the boat's 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. No wildlife effects have been observed so far, and any spilled diesel will dissipate quickly, the Coast Guard said. The cause of the grounding is under investigation. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife are assisting with the response, and salvage operations are expected to begin Friday. Chinese Harbor is a wide bay fronted by steep headlands on the northern side of Santa Cruz, one of the five islands in Channel Islands National Park. The nearby waters are a designated marine sanctuary and are within a UNESCO biosphere reserve. ”
December 17, 2022 [The Independent]: “Diesel fuel containment from a boat carrying 16,000 pounds of squid continues off Santa Cruz Island, the Unified Command responding to the spill reported Friday night. The Speranza Marie held about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel and an unknown amount of hydraulic fuel when it hit shore at Chinese Harbor around 2 a.m. on December 15. The island is about 27 miles directly south of the City of Santa Barbara and the largest of the Channel Islands. The six people aboard were rescued by another fishing boat and taken to Ventura, while a toxic response team and cleanup crew headed to the island, which is part of the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary. A sheen was visible from the boat, which is owned by Ocean Angel VI LLC, north about a half-mile to Coche Point on Thursday and had decreased by Friday. Diesel fuel is light and floats, rather than sinking, and evaporates within a few days, according to the state Office of Response and Restoration. Contaminated debris has been removed from the water, and the squid is being transferred to decrease the quantity of wildlife it is attracting. So far, one dead cormorant has been retrieved.
Ocean Angel is a commercial fishing company based in Watsonville, according to its corporate statement filed with the state. It shares an address with Del Mar Seafood, which unloads in Ventura Harbor, its Facebook page indicates. The Unified Command includes Coast Guard, state Fish & Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Santa Barbara County, Channel Islands National Park, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and Ocean Angel representatives. Global Diving and Salvage is working to remove the fuel and stabilize the ship with the help of Tow Boat USA, the Unified Command reported in a press statement. As well, Fish & Wildlife staff is on scene to make shoreline and wildlife assessments through the weekend. Mariners are advised to avoid the area, the Coast Guard stated.”
December 20, 2022 [The Independent]:' “SAFETY ZONE ESTABLISHED AROUND GROUNDED ISLAND VESSEL. The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone of 4,000 yards around the grounded fishing vessel Speranza Marie, currently at coordinate 34° 1' 59" N, 119° 36' 23" W, near Chinese Harbor, Santa Cruz Island, California. This safety zone is necessary to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment during ongoing salvage operations for the Speranza Marie, which will continue from Dec. 20, 2022 through Jan. 4, 2023, or until salvage operations no longer pose a hazard to the public. No vessel or person will be permitted to operate or recreate in the safety zone without obtaining permission from the Captain of the Port or their designated representative. Vessels needing to operate within or transit through this safety zone shall contact the Coast Guard or Law Enforcement agency on scene via VHF Channel 16, or the 24-hour Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach Command Center at (310) 521-3801. This zone will be announced via Broadcast Notice to Mariners.”
