The 265-foot fuel barge Defiant sits grounded on the rocks near the entrance to San Juan Harbor, just off Castillo San Felipe del Morro, as salvage crews work to remove residual fuel and prepare the vessel for refloating. U.S. Coast Guard Photo
Salvage crews have successfully removed all residual fuel from a grounded barge that ran aground near the entrance to San Juan Harbor last week, significantly reducing the immediate environmental threat as response teams work to extract the 265-foot vessel from the rocks off San Felipe del Morro Castle.
The barge Defiant, which was being towed inbound from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, grounded at approximately noon on February 9 just outside the harbor entrance near Old San Juan. The vessel came to rest off the historic 16th-century fortress that guards the approach to San Juan Bay.
Approximately 1,000 gallons of residual fuel and oily water were removed from the vessel on Monday as part of the Unified Command’s ongoing salvage effort. Over the weekend, salvage crews brought in additional equipment to assess the extent of the barge damage and to test all tanks and voids for pressurization.
“With the removal of residual fuel, we have substantially reduced the immediate threat to the marine environment,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ray Lopez, Coast Guard incident commander at U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “We will continue to monitor the area closely as salvors and responders work diligently to prepare and condition the barge for its removal. Removal of the barge will take as long as necessary to ensure the safety of the responders while minimizing impacts to the marine environment and protecting the integrity of the Port of San Juan’s maritime transportation system.”
The proposed plan to remove the barge is currently under review pending updates from salvors and final approval from the Captain of the Port. The Coast Guard has established a 200-yard safety zone around the vessel and urged the public to stay away from the area to allow response agencies to safely access and work at the site.
No injuries were reported in the incident, and there have been no signs of pollution. Despite the grounding, the Port of San Juan remains open to vessel traffic as the barge is not obstructing the navigable channel. The Coast Guard has activated an Incident Management Team to coordinate the response and is broadcasting Safety Marine Information Broadcasts to alert nearby vessel traffic.
The cause of the grounding remains under investigation.
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A fuel barge ran aground near the entrance to San Juan Harbor on Monday while being towed inbound from St. Thomas, prompting a Coast Guard response near Old San Juan’s historic El Morro fortress. Officials say there were no injuries, no pollution reported, and the port remains open to vessel traffic.
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