BRINNON — Divers began recovering diesel fuel from a sunken boat’s tanks Monday, after the grounded vessel spilled 25-50 gallons of fuel in the waters of Pleasant Harbor.
The divers from Global Diving and Salvage expected to complete the task of removing fuel from the Avalon by Monday evening, said Sandy Howard, state Department of Ecology spokeswoman.
Randy Schleich of Brinnon, owner of the Avalon, has told Ecology he wants to attempt to remove his boat, Howard said.
A plan for raising the boat must be submitted to and approved by the Coast Guard, she said.
The 65-foot pleasure craft sank near Pleasant Harbor on Sunday, leaving a thin sheen of fuel on the water and a smell of diesel in the air.
Divers plugged the vessel’s fuel vents Sunday to prevent the fuel remaining in tanks from leaking
All four passengers on board the Avalon made it to shore at Pleasant Harbor State Park in a skiff that had been towing the boat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The boat had engine trouble as it was being moved from one slip to another, and was being towed by a 14-foot skiff owned by a friend of Schleich’s when it ran aground at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
The Avalon was gradually submerged by the rising tide.
The boat had up to 500 gallons of diesel fuel on board, and a boom was put around the boat to prevent the spread of fuel.
On Sunday, the Brinnon Fire Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Coast Guard, and Ecology were able to deploy oil absorbent materials and booms to help contain the fuel and oil.
An oily sheen on the water and diesel odor had greatly diminished Monday, but should still be expected for another day or two, she said.
Howard said that visitors to the area may still see bubbles of oil coming up from the vessel.
Ecology has restocked spill supplies used by the Brinnon Fire Department and Pleasant Harbor Marina in responding to the Avalon’s grounding, Howard said.
On Sunday, the crew of a Coast Guard helicopter spotted a “rainbow sheen” — a very thin coating of fuel or oil — over about 75 percent of Pleasant Harbor and extending about 300 feet into Hood Canal.
Shellfish gathering in the area is not affected because the Department of Health’s Shellfish Safety Program has permanently closed it due to the proximity to the marina.
