The Nalani, a 95-foot tugboat, sank last week off the coast of Oahu while carrying 75,000 gallons of fuel.
The pilot of the ship sent out a mayday call around 3:15 p.m. Jan. 22, reporting to the U.S. Coast Guard command center in Honolulu that the vessel was taking on water.
Upon hearing the call that the Nalani was in danger of sinking, the nearby towing vessel Tiger 7 and an National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration patrol boat came to the rescue of the tugboat’s 11 crewmembers. No injuries were reported. The tugboat sank in about 2,200 feet of water about 2.5 miles off Barbers Point Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii.
Crews were continuing to assess the environmental and health impacts of the ship accident. About 500 gallons of fuel that apparently leaked from the vessel have already been recovered.
