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Imagery Available: Coast Guard continues response to Miss Emma fire, vessel sunk

Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point aircrews and Coast Guard surface assets respond to a vessel fire aboard Miss Emma, Coast Guard Miss Emma
Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point aircrews and Coast Guard surface assets respond to a vessel fire aboard Miss Emma about 8 miles off Ko’Olina, Oahu, Sept. 17, 2019. After arriving on the scene, the HC-130 Hercules aircrew was able to vector in a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) from Small Boat Station Honolulu, and the boat crew successfully pulled all seven survivors from a liferaft and ferried them to shore.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Brandon Horacek.

HONOLULU — The Coast Guard continues to respond to an incident aboard the commercial fishing vessel Miss Emma off Oahu, Wednesday.

“We’re pleased there was no loss of life in this case, and there are no current reports of pollution,” said Lt. j.g. Seth Gross, a command duty officer for Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We will conduct another overflight of the area today, and Coast Guard personnel are investigating the cause of the fire.»

The vessel caught fire Tuesday afternoon about 8 miles south of Sand Island prompting a search and rescue response. The ship burned throughout the night and subsequently sank at 7:22 a.m. seven miles south of Barbers Point in 2,700 feet of water.

The HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point was able to vector in a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) from Small Boat Station Honolulu
The HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point was able to vector in a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) from Small Boat Station Honolulu, and the vessel crew successfully pulled all seven survivors from a liferaft and ferried them to shore.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Brandon Horacek.

Salvors arrived overnight and began fighting the fire this morning intending to salvage the vessel. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders coordinated a Coast Guard Auxiliary Air flight for sunrise with a pollution responder aboard to assess any visible pollution or debris. The maximum potential fuel load for the Miss Emma was 3,200 gallons of diesel, of which about 1,500 gallons was reportedly aboard. The fire likely consumed some or all of that fuel.

The Coast Guard received the initial mayday call from the crew of the Miss Emma at 4:29 p.m. Tuesday reporting the fire. A Coast Guard Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew was first on scene and rescued the six crew, and an NOAA observer from the fishing vessel’s liferaft. They arrived safely to Pier 38 in Honolulu with no reported injuries.

The USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) remains on scene to ensure the burning vessel Miss Emma
The USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) remains on scene to ensure the burning vessel Miss Emma, does not become a hazard to local maritime traffic about 8 miles off Ko’Olina, Oahu, Sept. 17, 2019. The 46-foot fishing vessel, homeported in Honolulu, subsequently sank after the rescue of all seven survivors.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Brandon Horacek.

The USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) crew responded Tuesday and recovered the liferaft. They were on scene throughout the night to ensure that the burning vessel did not become a hazard to local maritime traffic. Following the sinking, they observed no signs of pollution or debris.

Weather is variable winds with seas to 3 feet. There is a small craft advisory in effect for the main Hawaiian Islands.

Vessel in fire Miss Emma, image from USCGC Joseph Gerczak.
Vessel in fire Miss Emma, image from USCGC Joseph Gerczak.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Brandon Horacek.
The USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) recovers the liferaft of the Miss Emma
The USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) recovers the liferaft of the Miss Emma about 8 miles off Ko’Olina, Oahu, Sept. 17, 2019. The cutter remained on scene overnight to ensure that the burning vessel did not become a hazard to local maritime traffic.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Brandon Horacek.

-USCG-

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