Oil spills from sunken boat in Keyport

KEYPORT — Local and state officials are assessing the extent of an oil spill in Keyport.

The Poulsbo Fire Department first responded this morning to a spill seeping from a sunken 32-foot vessel privately docked near the public marina. The boat sunk at berth, and is in 12-13 feet of water, according to Department of Ecology (DOE) spokesperson Larry Altose.

The boat’s owners, fire department, DOE and Coast Guard are now onsite to assess the spill and determine their next steps.

Poulsbo Fire contained the spill Thursday morning using a containment boom from a DOE spill response trailer in the area. A second trailer of equipment is on its way from Bainbridge Island. Altose said the DOE has placed trailers throughout the area for exactly this kind of circumstance.

The equipment also includes pads to soak up oil from the water’s surface. Altose said a reported 1,000-foot by 1,000-foot patch of surface oil was spotted by a Coast Guard helicopter this morning. The thickness of the sheen isn’t known.

The sunken vessel held two 60-gallon tanks, Altose said, but the amount of fuel in those tanks hasn’t been determined.

Read Saturday’s edition of the North Kitsap Herald for more information on this spill.

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