PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Coast Guard oversees diesel spill clean-up near Marquesas after vessel fire

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast Contact: 7th District Public Affairs Office: 305-415-6683 After Hours: 786-367-7649 7th District online newsroom

Coast Guard oversees diesel spill clean-up near Marquesas after vessel fire

 

  

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KEY WEST, Fla. — The Coast Guard is currently overseeing diesel spill clean-up operations after the 100-foot vessel, La Dolce Vita, caught fire Tuesday near Marquesas. 

The vessel captain radioed Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders reporting the fire on Ch. 16. All six people aboard safely evacuated using the vessel’s small boat and were escorted to shore by a Station Key West rescue crew. The fire reportedly started on the starboard generator.

The owner of the vessel is taking responsibility to contain and remove the resulting diesel spill. A commercial salvage crew deployed boom Wednesday to contain a visible light sheen. The La Dolce Vita was reportedly carrying nearly 4,500 gallons maximum capacity of diesel, but it is unknown how much of the product was discharged.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

"Right now, the Coast Guard's main concern is the environmental threat," said Chief Petty Officer Thomas Goggans, Coast Guard Sector Key West incident management supervisor. "The location of the fuel spill is within a National Marine Sanctuary and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge." 

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-USCG-