U.S. Coast Guard and state Department of Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response crews are returning to Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay today after a sunken houseboat began leaking diesel fuel Thursday.
A fuel sheen was reported on the waters inside Pillar Point Harbor at about 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the Coast Guard. The sheen is reportedly from a houseboat called "The Gypsy" that sank while anchored at the harbor about six weeks ago, according to the Coast Guard.
The boat sank in about 15 feet of water, and Coast Guard officials determined at the time that it did not present any immediate or significant threat to the environment after the owner said there was little fuel on board except for 30 gallons of diesel fuel that appeared to be sealed in tanks.
After the sheen was spotted Thursday morning, about 200 feet of containment and absorbent boom were deployed in the harbor to protect a commercial abalone farm and nearby beaches. No shoreline or wildlife impact from the oil had been reported as of this morning, according to the Coast Guard.
Fish and Game officials planned to monitor the area for possible impacts to birds and marine life in the area. Fishermen and shellfish harvesters have also been advised to avoid fishing or harvesting from the shoreline inside the breakwater to Pillar Point.
The salvage of the vessel was to be completed by the owner, but because of the apparent leak, the Coast Guard has taken over the situation.
Parker Diving and Salvage, a Sausalito-based company, has been brought in to assist in the removal, cleanup and salvage of the houseboat today, according to the Coast Guard.
