Coast Guard rescues 12 persons from M/V Bonnie G, aground off U.S. Virgin Islands

A Coast Guard boat crew rescued 12 people, Wednesday morning, after they were forced to abandon the M/V Bonnie G that was taking on water and ran aground just south of the airport in St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands. All 12 persons aboard the Bonnie G, a 195-foot Vanuatu-flagged “ro-ro” cargo vessel, are safe and no injuries have been reported to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment and response personnel in the U.S. Virgin Islands are working with the Bonnie G vessel company to assess the current pollution threat. The Bonnie G is reported to have approximately 13,000 gallons of fuel and approximately 250 gallons of lube oil onboard, and the vessel was carrying six cars, a truck, a trailer and two pallets of cargo. The Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances and causal factors of the incident.