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| News Release |
Date: Contact: |
| **Pictures Available**Coast Guard responds to aground fishing boat in Florida Keys |
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A Coast Guard member from Sector Key West supervises the offload of petroleum based products from the fishing vessel Maite. MARATHON, Fla. -- In response to the 45-foot lobster boat Maite that ran aground Monday, a coordinated effort by the Coast Guard, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Bahia Honda State Park is underway to remove the on-board petroleum products, minimize damage to the environment, and salvage the vessel. Maite crewmembers called the Coast Guard at 3 p.m. Monday stating they had three people aboard and were taking on water one-quarter mile south of Bahia Honda Key, Fla. The Coast Guard immediately responded by launching a smallboat crew from Station Marathon. Once the crewmembers from Station Marathon arrived on scene they observed that the Maite was hard aground on the small uninhabited key approximately one-quarter mile south of Bahia Honda Key. In order to protect the environment and prevent a potential discharge of petroleum-based products from the Maite, Coast Guard Sector Key West opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and hired a contractor to set up a spill containment boom Monday evening. Using the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, a local contractor is currently on scene removing all petroleum based products from the Maite. Once the removal of petroleum products is completed the Coast Guard, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Bahia Honda State park will coordinate with the vessel's owner for salvage and removal of the Maite. |
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