Salvage of grounded fishing vessel delayed, but officials promise removal of American Challenger from Marin coast

The junked American Challenger vessel has listed more sharply in the months since it ran aground off the northern Marin coast, littering the shore with debris.

And now officials have determined that the decommissioned fishing vessel is unsafe even for contract crews to board the vessel to weatherproof it for winter.

But public agencies that have worked to protect the waters of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary since the 90-foot-vessel washed ashore March 5 say the wrecked vessel will be removed as soon as possible next year.

A complex plan to dismantle it offshore and haul away the pieces is stalled in Washington, awaiting expected approval from the U.S. Coast Guard commandant, officials said.

Dismantling a vessel “is not a common occurrence and is carefully evaluated … to ensure a thorough review of the case to assist the Commandant in making a final decision,” said Eric Laughlin, a spokesman for the California Fish and Wildlife Department’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, said in an email.

The office is handling communication on the operation on behalf of federal and state agencies involved.

Officials had earlier described a plan to inject the hull with foam and refloat the boat so it could be towed and salvaged. But it later was determined there were too many punctures in the steel for that to be feasible.

The new plan includes rigging a specialized block-and-tackle pulley system that allows the vessel to be moved closer to shore, then cutting off pieces of the vessel by helicopter and bringing them to the top of the bluff for transport to Mare Island, said Laughlin and consultant Steve Kinsey, a former Marin County supervisor and California Coastal Commissioner who is representing the coastal landowner involved.

Kinsey said the wreckage would be cut as close to the waterline as is safe before the hull itself is dismantled and carried ashore. “Obviously, it’s more expensive than the other process,” he said.

The problem of funding the operation appears to have been overcome, however, through a decision to tap the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, though the increased cost means the commandant’s review and approval were necessary.

Since dismantling of a vessel doesn’t strictly fall within the Coast Guard’s authority, it requires careful review, taking into account an analysis of net environmental benefits, cost and other legal implications, Laughlin said.

But it’s important to recall, Kinsey said, how many shipwrecks, large and small, up and down the coast have never been retrieved.

“We’re on the verge of getting this thing removed from there,” Kinsey said, “and I just think as painfully slow and seemingly endless as the bureaucratic reviews have been, the good news is everyone has gotten to the place of, ‘Yeah, we’re going to get this thing out of here.’ ”

The American Challenger was under tow from Port Angeles, Washington, to Mexico, where it was to have been scuttled, when the tugboat leading it south along the coastline ran into trouble last March.

The tugboat captain said a steel shackle linking the vessels failed off Tomales Bay, leaving the fishing vessel at the mercy of the waves. Coast Guard crews declined to intervene, deeming it unsafe to board the boat.

The American Challenger eventually ran aground on the rocks below steep bluffs between Dillon Beach and the Estero Americano.

Both boats were uninsured, raising fears the boat would be left to break apart over time — its wreckage free to float away or sink, fouling the sanctuary waters.

The incident also cast light on the burdens commonly borne by the public and the environment due to uninsured, junk boats left unaddressed once they no longer run.

Marin County Assemblyman Marc Levine has since authored legislation that would require commercial vessels to carry a minimum a $1 million coverage for wreck removal costs.

The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council also has created a brand new committee to develop recommendations for improved public response to vessel grounding, addressing issues like registration and fees for emergency needs, said council member Cea Higgins, of Bodega Bay.

In the meantime, public agencies already had already spent more than $2.3 million by summer responding to the American Challenger, including laying oil booms to contain any spills. The vessel’s fuel tanks had been emptied in advance of its trip south, so little oil got into the water. But there were enough fluids still onboard that could pose a risk to the sanctuary to allow oil spill fund to be used for the salvage operation, Laughlin said.

Monitoring of the site had continued without any additional sheen or signs of oiled wildlife, he said.

But after crews were dropped onboard a few a weeks ago to replace absorbent booms and remove any hazardous materials, the boat continued to lean in rough seas, making it unsafe for workers to return, according to a recent report from the Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

American Challenger Liaison Update #31.pdf

Electronic surveillance and observational visits will continue, however, the report said.

Richard James, an Marin environmental advocate, said he was frustrated by the delayed removal of the vessel, though he remained hopeful it would not linger off shore much longer.

“I was assured that this was not going to happen,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.