Coast Guard oversees fuel removal efforts from grounded sailing vessel in Culebra, Puerto Rico

Coast Guard Sector San Juan pollution responders, working in consultation with local and federal environmental agencies, are overseeing efforts by specialized companies, Tuesday, to remove a substantial pollution threat from a grounded sailing vessel just off Flamenco Beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard federalized pollution response efforts and established an Incident Command, Friday, for the vessel Obsession, a 72-foot sailing catamaran that ran hard aground on a reef July 21, 2024. The incident command is currently overseeing the removal of an estimated 800 to 1,500 gallons of diesel as well as the oil from the vessel’s engines and any potential hazardous materials that may be onboard. The established Incident Command includes an environmental unit comprised by subject matter expert representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, who have been coordinating and collaborating in this effort since the day of the incident.