Sunday, August 9, 2009

RECREATIONAL BOAT STRANDED SINCE MONDAY

CHINCOTEAGUE

The Coast Guard is trying to come up with a plan to keep a stranded boat from harming the environment around Assateague Island National Seashore.

About 9,500 gallons of diesel fuel already has been removed from the 78-foot Frieda Marie, a recreational boat with three crew members. It ran aground near Chincoteague Inlet about 3 a.m. Monday, the Coast Guard said.

The fuel was pumped from the boat by a contractor. “We wanted to make sure that we got all the fuel off. That way if anything were to happen it has minimal impact to the environment,” said Petty Officer Andrew Kendrick, a Coast Guard spokesman.

“It’s a national seashore right there and there’s a threatened species, the piping plovers.”

The boat has a hole in it, the Coast Guard said, and water is being continuously pumped off the boat. The Coast Guard plans to repair the boat and remove it.

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