By Jeff Noedel

Journal contributor

Coast Guard Petty Officer and Public Information Officer Steve Strohmayer told the Journal, there were no injuries associated with the sinking of a vessel, the Elsie M, a 25 foot tugboat, at Shipyard Cove on Dec. 5. He said shortly after the sinking, the water in the area was “actively sheening,” and that “pollution responders,” including Washington State Ecology, were activated.

The Port of Friday Harbor Executive Director Todd Nicholson confirmed that the vessel sunk at approximately 3:30 p.m. that afternoon.

A tenant of Shipyard Cove told the Journal an oil boom has been deployed, and there is a “slight smell of diesel fuel in the air.”

The tenant said most of the tug is under the dock in approximately 50 feet of water. A few items such as life jackets were retrieved by port personnel and marina tenants. He said the wheelhouse of the tug broke loose and it has been towed to shore.

The site of the sunken Elsie was cleaned up the following day, Dec. 6. Most of the oil booms had been removed, and there is very little visible sheen on the water. The remaining sheen is expected to disperse quickly.

The tugboat’s owner, A1 Marine Marine Services of Friday Harbor, used their own work crane to lift the hull onto a barge last night. The hull was raised from its 60-foot depth after a diver inserted wax plugs in a leaking fuel tank. The pilot house, which broke away from the hull during the sinking, is now upright on the shore.

According to Nicholson, the incident began when marina personnel noticed the small tug was taking on water. They began pumping water out, but when the stern dipped below the waterline, the vessel ripped off the mooring rail and sank quickly.

Said Nicholson, “Nobody likes to see a sinking and fuel spill, but this is exactly the type of response you want to see. This was handled really good. It could have been far, far worse.” He commended A1, TowboatUSA, Islands’ Oil Spill Association and Port staff for a model response. He said TowboatUSA arrived first, and IOSA was on scene in less than an hour.

Nicholson added that many people justifiably worry about a major oil spill, but 90% of oil spills are like this one — smaller spills associated with smaller vessels.