Update 7: Vessel salvage crews continue clean-up operations in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

Press Release

Hurricane Maria ESF-10 Puerto Rico Press Contact: 939-401-6872 Vessel Hotline: 786-521-3900 USCGESF10Maria@gmail.com

Hurricane Maria ESF-10 Puerto Rico response teams conduct boat removal operations at Isleta Marina, Jan. 22, 2018. The ESF-10 is offering no-cost options for removing these vessels; affected boat owners are asked to call the Vessel Owner Outreach Hotline at (786) 521-3900. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Lara Davis)(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Lara Davis)

Editors' Note: Click on image to download high resolution version

SAN JUAN – The Emergency Support Function 10 (ESF-10) Puerto Rico unified command continues to ask that vessel owners in need of assistance call the Hurricane Maria Vessel Hotline at (786) 521-3900 to request free support to remove a vessel, report a vessel removal plan, or report a vessel that has already been removed.

Hurricane Maria ESF-10 Puerto Rico response teams conducted boat removal operations today at Isleta Marina and Salinas. Since the last update, salvage crews have removed 20 more vessels. Outreach efforts to locate vessel owners continue. Crews will next expand efforts to the islands of Culebra and Vieques in their effort to reduce the potential environmental impact on Puerto Rico’s natural resources.

ESF-10 response teams have completed the following:

• Assessed 376 total vessels
• Removed 233 vessels
• Contacted 225 vessel owners
• Mitigated 36 pollution incidents
• Removed 14,030 gallons of oily water

The ESF-10 Puerto Rico continues to remove damaged vessels, which pose pollution and environmental threats, at no cost or penalty to the vessel owners. Under the unified direction of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard, the goal is to remove each vessel while mitigating public health risk, preserving native habitat, and increasing the Commonwealth’s ability to reconstitute.

The DNER and the Coast Guard in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Control Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service stood up the ESF-10 command post in Puerto Rico Sept. 27, 2017, after Hurricane Maria struck the island on Sept. 19.

Editor’s note: Media interested in covering salvage operations and conducting interviews with crews are encouraged to contact the Public Information Officer at 939-401-6872.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Official U.S. Coast Guard Hurricane Maria video and imagery

FEMA Hurricane Maria resources

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