JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A tugboat is stuck on a sandbar in the Gastineau Channel without a timeline for removal.
The 107-foot (33-meter) tugboat Lumberman has been stranded since May 5, the Juneau Empire reported . City and Borough of Juneau Docks and Harbors Port Director Carl Uchytil said its removal is a state, not city matter.
Uchytil said any possible removal would fall under the jurisdiction of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Mining, Land and Water because of the vessel’s location.
Gastineau Channel is divided between the city and borough, state and federal jurisdiction, Uchytil said.
If the vessel keeps drifting, it could end up becoming the U.S. Coast Guard’s responsibility, he said.
City officials have struggled to make contact with Lumberman’s owner. Harbormaster Dave Borg said he does not have a phone number for boat’s owner, identified by officials as Brenden Mattson.
Coast Guard Lt. Kristen Zelman said the Coast Guard has been in contact with the state and city on what to do with the vessel, but there has not yet been an agreement on a timeline for when it can be legally towed.
The vessel, Zelman said, is the same one that was anchored at Aurora Harbor before it drifted to its current location. The Coast Guard boarded the vessel in January and found oily waste and other hazardous materials onboard, Zelman said. They were removed.
The Lumberman was built in 1941 and came to Juneau in 1998, according to TugBoatInformation.com .
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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com
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