Grounded Scallop Boat Spills Diesel in Boston Harbor

 

On Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Boston Police Department rescued three fishermen from a scallop boat that went aground near Green Island, a rocky islet near the entrance to Boston Harbor. Pollution control efforts are under way to reduce the impact of a spill.

At about 0745 on Friday, Coast Guard Sector Boston received a broken-up radio call from a commercial fishing vessel, the scallop boat Eileen Rita. The Rita's crew confirmed that they had gone aground at the entrance to the harbor. 

Coast Guard crews from stations in Point Allerton and Boston responded to the scene near Green Island (North Brewster Island), joined by units from the Boston Police Department and Boston Fire Department. Two Coast Guard boats and a Boston Police boat rescued the three crewmembers from atop the partially capsized vessel's hull, and no injuries were reported. 

Images courtesy USCG

After the grounding, the Eileen Rita took on a list and settled onto her port side. The vessel soon began to discharge diesel fuel and oil into the water, according to the Coast Guard. 

Eileen Rita is carrying as much as 4,000 gallons of fuel and 50 gallons of lubricating oil; the exact amount on board and the quantity of the spill are unknown. Video footage obtained by the Coast Guard shows a substantial quantity of what appears to be red dye diesel spilling from the Eileen Rita's tanks. Multiple state and federal agencies are involved in the pollution-response effort. 

“The Coast Guard is working closely with the responsible party to mitigate fuel discharge. Simultaneously, methods to safely remove the vessel from the island are being evaluated,” said Lt. Cmdr. Alfred Betts, the public affairs officer for Sector Boston. “The contracted oil recovery organization is deploying absorbent boom to mitigate the spread of spilled fuel. Contracted divers are assessing the vessel to plan a path forward.”