SAIPAN — U.S. Coast Guard personnel from Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam and the National Strike Force’s Pacific Strike Team are forward-deployed to Saipan to address oil pollution, hazardous materials and marine debris in the wake of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, the Coast Guard said.
The teams are working with CNMI agencies and FEMA at the Emergency Operations Center under Emergency Support Function 10, the federal framework for oil and hazardous materials response.
“Most of the affected vessels are not a pollution threat,” the Coast Guard said. No vessels of concern have been identified in Rota, Tinian or Guam at this time.
The ESF 10 Mission Assignment would authorize federal support for the full scope of what the storm left behind, from hazmat assessment to the recovery of displaced and sunken vessels, the Coast Guard said. The Multi-Agency Coordination team at the EOC is actively developing a plan.
Coast Guard teams continue to reassess affected vessels and shorelines, coordinating with the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and other local and federal partners.
M/V GRAND MARIANAS
Addressing recent reporting on the M/V Grand Marianas, the Coast Guard said the vessel is part of the broader salvage and recovery plan being developed under Emergency Support Function 3 by the Multi-Agency Coordination team at the EOC.
“Salvage operations fall outside the U.S. Coast Guard’s mission and, as the vessel is not located in federal jurisdictional waters, the path forward rests with the appropriate state and federal partners already engaged through the MAC process,” the Coast Guard said. “We are confident that coordination is well underway.”
VESSEL OWNER COOPERATION
The Coast Guard recognized vessel owners and companies that engaged with the agency in good faith and took prompt action.
“That kind of cooperation is what makes recovery possible,” the Coast Guard said.
The agency said it remains committed to supporting the people of the CNMI and ensuring maritime safety and environmental protection throughout the recovery.
United States Coast Guard Photos: LT Perdomo and MST3 Ramos
