The Jan. 5 grounding of the fishing vessel Arctic Sea resulted in some 45,000 gallons of diesel fuel being released into the ocean offshore of St. George Island in the Pribilofs, environmental officials have confirmed.

A site inspection on June 1 by Global Diving & Salvage Inc. for a pollution survey found the starboard double-bottom tank still holding 5,821 gallons of diesel, according to a June 9 report from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Global team plugged the vent and standpipe to prevent further fuel spills. That tank is currently plugged, and all 10 of the other tanks are suspected to have been breached during the winter months.

Approximately 2,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid also washed out due to sea-state damage and the fish holds were all found open to the sea and void of crab, the report said.  Removal of the remaining fuel and planning for salvage operations are ongoing.

The 134-foot fishing vessel ran aground and began taking on water on the northern shore of the island on Jan. 5.  The U.S. Coast Guard rescued all nine crew members, with no injuries reported. The Arctic Sea was operating as a crabber in the midst of a severe gale, in 50-knot winds with 10-foot seas, when the vessel lost power.

To date, there have been no reports of adverse impact of the spill on marine or wildlife critters, and weather forecasts appear favorable at St. George Island for removal of the wreckage over the next 10 days, according to the DEC report.

Drone surveys of the wreck site and shoreline surveys were conducted by Polaris Applied Sciences, which collected mussel samples from three locations on June 1 to establish a baseline level of contamination of mussel tissue and assess potential shellfish contamination, said DEC spokesman Mark Sielaff. Test results are not yet available.