Sunken fishing boat prompts spill response

Response under way to sunken boat at the Westport Marina.

Coast Guard and Washington State Department of Ecology personnel were called out to respond Monday to the sunken 77-foot fishing vessel Lady Lillian and resulting sheen at the Westport Marina.

Incident Management Division personnel from Coast Guard Sector Columbia River opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted Global Diving and Salvage to plug vents and empty fuel tanks, and Ecology and Port of Grays Harbor staff deployed oil spill containment boom and cleanup pads around the sunken vessel

Watchstanders at Sector Columbia River received the report of the sunken vessel around 6:40 a.m. from members at Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor, who had verified the initial notification they received from marina staff.

The boom and cleanup pads used came from an Ecology spill response supply trailer kept at the port, one of more than 100 positioned around the state.

The Lady Lillian reportedly contained approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel and 7 gallons of hydraulic oil aboard.