Tugboat sinks, spills hundreds of gallons of fuel and oil at Bremerton Marina

Cleanup crews said they’ve recovered close to 900 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil from Sinclair Inlet after a 130-foot tugboat sank in Bremerton.

At approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday, a boat called the “Dominion” sank next to a dock at the Bremerton Marina.

On Friday, officials set up a unified command team to deal with the leaking fuel that consisted of the Coast Guard, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and private contractors.

Officials at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound said the first reports of the sinking tug came in to their headquarters Wednesday afternoon.

The boat’s owner reported an unknown amount of diesel fuel and about 200 gallons of lube oil were aboard the vessel when it sank.

Authorities deployed a containment boom and used absorbent pads to try to recover the product from around the Dominion.

A supplemental boom was also put in place to collect fuel and oil that shifted with Puget Sound tide changes.

Contractors are also using vacuum trucks and skimmers to recover the leaked product. The Coast Guard is trying to keep boat traffic from interrupting cleanup efforts.

It has established a “no-boating zone” from the Manette Bridge to the Bremerton Ferry Terminal.

Non-commercial vessels are being kept out of an area that extends 200 yards from the Bremerton Marina breakwater.

On Thursday, a day after the tugboat sank, divers conducted sounding operations to try to determine how much fuel remained in the vessel’s tanks. It’s unclear exactly what caused the tug to sink, but an official investigation is underway.

The Coast Guard is implementing an Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to help pay for the cleanup operations and to help prevent damage to the environment.

Officials at the Washington Department of Ecology have also put together two shoreline cleanup assessment teams.

They will monitor the area for any damage to wildlife due to oil or fuel in the water.

State officials are asking anyone who has observed oiled wildlife to call a special hotline at (800) 22-BIRDS. Officials want people to report details about where the affected areas are, what was seen, and what wildlife was affected by pollution.

Officials are also asking people to avoid the area.

Contractors trained to deal with spills are working to clean up the pollution.

Authorities say no help is needed from anyone wishing to volunteer, by assisting with the cleanup operation right now.

In fact, they say people who come to take a look at the spill scene may actually hinder the teams who are responding to the spill.

Coast Guard officials say there is also a team currently working on a salvage plan to raise the vessel.

According to the Department of Ecology, two shoreline cleanup assessment teams conducted surveys along Point Washington Narrows from Lions Park south to the Manette Bridge.

They did find some weathered oil in that area, but authorities said it’s unlikely any of that oil came from the Dominion.

Crews will conduct at least one more shoreline survey for the incident.

As of Friday, officials said there have been no reports of affected birds or other wildlife.