USCG Completes Cleanup After Decommissioned ‘Aurora’ Refloated in Delta
If you’ve sailed in the San Joaquin Delta, you might have seen a small, decommissioned cruise ship languishing on the river northwest of Stockton. The Aurora, a nonoperational 294-ft cruise ship, had been permanently moored in Little Potato Slough. On May 22 she began sinking, spilling contaminants into the water. The US Coast Guard now says it has completed its pollution response to the sunken vessel.
The sheriff’s office said Aurora had “suffered a hole” and began taking on water. A sheen of diesel and oil was observed, and the San Joaquin sheriff’s department deployed 200 feet of absorbent boom around the vessel and sensitive sites.
The pollution cleanup was accomplished over several weeks by response contractors Global Diving & Salvage and subcontractors. The vessel was refloated, and an estimated 21,675 gallons of oily water, 3,193 gallons of hazardous waste, and five 25-yard bins of debris were removed from the vessel.
The Coast Guard reports, “Extensive surveys suggest no recoverable oil remains onboard,” and that there were no observations of oiled wildlife throughout the response.
The Maritime Executive reports, “While agencies consider the various options for removing the ship from its current berth, the City of Stockton has hired a contractor to keep bilge pumps on the vessel running in order to prevent it from sinking again. The containment boom will remain in place as a precautionary measure.”
Is the owner of Aurora, responsible for clean up cost?
Why is the response always reactive? An abandoned ship with fuel on board will sink soon or later…
There was a charitable story in this publication about this ship and its previous owner. Seems like it was sold to another person who has since walked away. The Delta, and Bay, have a huge problem with abandoned vessels. This one seems the largest and most obvious, though the burning riverboat off Mare Island a few months ago could be a runner-up. We need enforcement of the laws around dumping vessels to be enforced. A romantic dream is no excuse for littering. How is leaving a vessel full of fuel, oil, and flaking paint to rot much different than just dumping those materials directly in the water?
The youtube series from the recent owner was wild
Is the USCG buoy tender Fir still there up in the Delta with a story very much like the Aurora?
The Coast Guard sold it to a foundation 25 years ago and let them retain the USCG colors (paint scheme). It sat at Pier 38 at South Beach SF for years infested with bums and junkies, then moved up to the Delta with the Aurora. Similarly neglected and awaiting foundering in the Delta. Tell me I am wrong.
Kind of a handsome vessel. It’s a shame that, prior to sinking, no one put her to good use.
Apparently she was the inspiration for the TV show “The Love Boat”, https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/ship-delta-oil-spill-19474948.php