JUNEAU, Alaska — M/V Genius Star XI remains stable, anchored in Broad Bay, near Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Response personnel continue to offload CO2 bottles for inspection, refill, and reinstallation. The bottles are part of the ship’s installed firefighting equipment that are required to meet Safety Of Life At Sea requirements established by the International Maritime Organization. Thirty-one of the ships 153 CO2 bottles have been offloaded as of Thursday afternoon.
The Unified Command established a Technical Expert Advisory Group to provide advice on technical issues related to response operations. The group is developing an air circulation plan for the cargo holds to be implemented by the salvage team onboard the vessel. Assessment teams continue to conduct air monitoring on-site and ashore, including five locations around Dutch Harbor. Air quality remains normal, and teams will continuously conduct air monitoring as outside air is slowly introduced into the cargo holds.
"The Unified Command will continue to proceed safely and methodically for the duration of the response,” said Capt. Chris Culpepper, Captain of the Port. “The ship remains stable, and we are making risk-based decisions for operations based on technical expert guidance.”
The Unified Command, consisting of the Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Gallagher Marine Systems, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, continues to work closely to coordinate response efforts on this incident.
Members of the salvage team will remain onboard with the ship’s crew throughout the extreme weather to monitor the vessel’s condition.
A one-mile safety zone around the vessel remains in place. Mariners who wish to enter that zone shall request permission on VHF Channel 16.
An investigation into the cause will take place once response efforts are complete.
The Unified Command continues their coordinated effort to provide updates to all stakeholders through regular public outreach. Media can subscribe to the Unified Command’s content, including updated press releases, at 17th District Alaska (uscg.mil).
Information Contacts:
U.S. Coast Guard: Lt. Cmdr. Mike Salerno – 907-957-0639 - Michael.N.Salerno@uscg.mil
State of Alaska – ADEC – Kathy Shea: 907-269-3071 – kathy.shea@alaska.gov
Gallagher Marine Systems: Mr. Jim Butler – 907-398-8866 – jimirgroup@gmail.com