ANNA MARIA – The used oil storage tank from the shrimp trawler that sank offshore of Anna Maria on Jan. 8 has been recovered, but there may still be a fuel tank missing, according to Mayor Dan Murphy.
Murphy told city commissioners on Jan. 14 that a 700-gallon storage tank that held used sludge oil was missing. According to the Mayor, that tank was located at some point last week.
At mid-day Sunday, Murphy shared the latest update he received from the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Good morning sir, they were unable to locate the last remaining fuel tank. They concluded fuel recovery operations last night. The tug and barge is going to Tarpon Springs. They will be back on scene this week to conduct salvage operations. Our hopes are that the tank will turn up during the course of the salvage. There’s no longer any signs of pollution on scene, but if at any time they start to get any kind of pollution they will stop salvage and begin recovery of the fuel,” the Coast Guard update said.
The fuel recovery efforts took place about a mile and a half offshore of Bean Point. Sunday afternoon, Murphy received another update regarding the possible missing fuel tank.
“It is unknown if it would have had any product in it. The belief is that if it was still there and had product, we could see an oil sheen. It is believed that this tank either is still in the wreck, possibly drifted out to deeper water or there may have been a possibility that the tank was not on the vessel to begin with. The contractors did conduct an exhaustive search over a two-week period using divers, side-scan sonar, drones and helicopter overflight,” the Sunday afternoon update said.
ANNA MARIA – About 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel have been removed from the hull of the commercial shrimp trawler that recently sank offshore of Anna Maria, but concerns linger regarding a still-missing 700-gallon used oil storage tank.
The ship’s oil storage tank remained missing Friday afternoon, but no oil slicks or oil spills associated with the shipwreck had been reported.
The remains of the sunken shrimp trawler were located at latitude 27-32.55N and longitude 082-46-440, according to an update Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy received from the Coast Guard.
“It (the oil tank) has not been found as of now,” Murphy said Friday afternoon. “They are using side-scan sonar to try to locate the missing tank, and to see if there are any other tanks or debris in the area.”
Owned by the Tampa-based Versaggi Shrimp Corporation, the shrimp trawler, Warrior, began taking on water Friday evening Jan. 8. In response to the trawler’s distress call, a 45-foot boat from the Cortez Coast Guard station arrived on scene about two miles west of Anna Maria at 7:50 p.m. and removed three crew members from the floundering 70-foot shrimp boat.
The abandoned vessel’s superstructure later broke apart. Early Saturday morning, the majority of the shipwreck debris was discovered near Bean Point in Anna Maria. Debris from the Warrior also washed ashore in Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key.
Much of the shipwreck debris washed ashore in Anna Maria, at and near Bean Point on Saturday, Jan. 9. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Murphy made city commissioners aware of the missing oil tank when providing them with a “good news-bad news” status update during Thursday’s city commission meeting, which began at 2 p.m.
According to Murphy, the salvage and fuel recovery efforts were taking place about a mile and a half west of Bean Point.
“The real bad news is that there’s another tank that they can’t find. This tank does not hold fuel. It holds black sludge oil. It’s a tank that’s used when you pump out the engine oil – like when you change the oil in your car. They put it into retention and then about every five to six months they pump that out,” Murphy said.
According to Murphy, the missing oil tank has the capacity to hold 700 gallons of used motor oil and he did not know how much oil was stored in the tank when the ship sank.
“That tank has not been found yet. There is no sheen on the water. The Coast Guard’s out there looking at it. The salvage company left yesterday (Wednesday) and I called the Coast Guard this morning,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he asked the Coast Guard if the salvage team had been authorized to leave the scene. Murphy said he was told the Coast Guard did not authorize the salvage team to leave and were ordered to return Thursday morning. Murphy said upon their return, the salvage team once again installed containment booms around the remains of the sunken trawler.
“The divers are still in the water and we still haven’t found this tank. As of 15 minutes before the meeting started, the tank had not been found,” Murphy told the commissioners Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a potential problem. I don’t know how many gallons are in that tank. The Coast Guard doesn’t know. The Department of Environmental Protection doesn’t know. The Coast Guard can’t keep a helicopter out there all the time. They do a flyover now and then. They’re looking for a sheen on the water. As much as I trust Coast Guard, and as much as I trust FDEP, we need our own people out there being vigilant as well,” Murphy said.
The city asks anyone who sees any signs of a potential oil spill to call city hall at 941-708-6130 during regular business hours; or to call 911 at night or during the weekend.
“There’s a weather front coming in Friday afternoon/Friday evening. The salvage company is not going to be able to stay out there during that weather event. So, the salvage company is going as fast as they can to see if they can find this other tank that’s missing. I don’t know what they’re going to do with it – whether they’re going to raise it or pump it out – but that has to be found,” Murphy told the commission.
“There is no evidence of it leaking at this point. There is no sheen. There’s no pollutants going into the water as of two o’ clock this afternoon. That’s the status. I wish it was better news. Everything was going hunky-dory until I heard about the lost tank,” Murphy told the commission.
Regarding the presence of diesel fuel first detected Saturday morning (Jan. 9), Murphy said, “I was worried about the fuel. It smelled all the way from the City Pier down to about Cypress (Avenue). It pretty much dissipated by Sunday morning. A little bit of fuel goes a long way when it’s on the water. It really wasn’t that much.”
Regarding the ensuing fuel containment and removal efforts, Murphy said, “The company hired to do the salvaging of that shrimp boat was out there the day after and the day after that. They put (containment) booms up and they had divers down. The main (fuel) tank held 7,000 gallons. They found 5,000 gallons in the tank and pumped it up and put that in their salvage boat. Then they found two auxiliary tanks. It appears to be the capacity of these two auxiliaries is about 75, maybe 80 gallons.”
Murphy said the auxiliary fuel tanks were also being pumped out.
Successful cleanup efforts
Murphy also provided some positive news regarding the successful debris cleanup efforts conducted by the Anna Maria Public Works Department and Manatee County.
He praised Public Works Manager Dean Jones for his leadership. He also praised Deputy Clerk and Code Enforcement Manager Debbie Haynes for the public notifications she provided at the city website as the situation unfolded last weekend.
Anna Maria Public Works Manager Dean Jones helped coordinate last week’s shipwreck debris cleanup and removal efforts. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Manatee County did a tremendous job of helping us get all that debris off the beach. They came equipped with backloaders and dumpsters and everything else. It was incredible. As I told Dean when we were on the beach: ‘This is something that wasn’t in that book of how to be a mayor.’ We got it pretty much picked up by Saturday night.”
Commissioner Jonathan Crane asked Murphy if the city will be compensated for the time the Public Works Department spent cleaning up the debris.
“Absolutely, and the county as well,” Murphy said.
“The insurance adjuster came. I was told by the owner of the vessel that he was an insurance adjuster, but I think he’s more of a ship’s agent. He came and he took a lot of pictures. He admitted that all the debris – 80 cubic yards – is all off that trawler,” Murphy said.
Crane said that in addition to the city and county staffs, Murphy should also be applauded for his efforts. Crane said he received his first phone update from Murphy at about 7 a.m. last Saturday.
“I was thunderstruck that Dan was out making phone calls to keep all of us ahead of the curve. I really appreciate it,” Crane said.
ANNA MARIA – The cleanup of the shipwreck debris field along the Anna Maria shoreline is mostly complete.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three commercial fishermen from a 70-foot commercial fishing vessel that took on water on Friday evening 2 miles west of Anna Maria Island.
After being abandoned at sea, the superstructure of the commercial fishing boat Warrior – owned by the Versaggi Shrimp Corp. in Tampa – broke apart in the rough seas, leaving the remaining hull submerged in approximately 14 feet of water.
By Saturday morning, a great deal of shipwreck debris had washed ashore in Anna Maria. To a lesser degree, debris also washed ashore in Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Longboat Key.
Capt. Kathe Fannon spotted this large piece of debris floating near Longboat Pass Saturday afternoon. – Kathe Fannon | Submitted
Saturday morning, the city of Anna Maria, with the county’s help, initiated an extensive cleanup effort that was essentially completed by the time the sun set Sunday evening.
Early Saturday afternoon, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy spoke to Joe Versaggi by phone and the two men agreed that the Versaggi Shrimp Corp. would ask its insurance carrier to pay for the cleanup efforts.
Due to rough seas, Sunday’s offshore diesel fuel containment and salvage efforts were postponed until Monday morning.
Situation updates
Late Sunday morning, Murphy provided city commissioners with a detailed email update.
“The debris field from the wrecked shrimp trawler has pretty much all been removed, with the exception of a few very large pieces remaining near the beach access at Fir Ave., and a large water tank near Bean Point.
“These pieces will be removed over the next few days after cutting them into manageable pieces. The fuel smell has dissipated and appears to have not caused any major damage to the beach or dune system. However, our staff, FDEP and USCG are continuing to monitor the beaches to ensure there is no impact,” Murphy’s email said.
“As to the remains of the trawler, salvage operations with divers are scheduled to begin today just off of Bean Point where the trawler ran aground. The fuel tank, which had a maximum capacity of 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel, remains offshore attached to the hull in approximately 14 feet of water. USCG aerial observations indicate no further leakage. Still, this tank continues to pose a potential threat to our beaches should it rupture prior to or during salvage operations.
Debris collected in Anna Maria was placed in large dumpsters and transported to the AMI Historical Museum. – Dan Murphy | Submitted
“The debris removed from the beaches has been placed in dumpsters and moved to the vacant lot by the Historical Society museum. The insurance adjuster for the shrimp company owning the trawler will inspect the debris this week,” Murphy wrote.
His email included a copy of the Coast Guard debris chart that indicated the locations of the wreck and the debris drift.
This refrigerator washed ashore in Bradenton Beach Saturday. – Karen McKay | Submitted
“Dean Jones and his Public Works staff, along with some incredible help from Charlie Hunsicker’s Manatee County staff, all did a remarkable job of quickly responding to this emergency. They came in on short notice during one of the coldest days in months and worked long hours under extreme and adverse conditions to restore our beaches to normal. We owe all of them our gratitude and a ‘thank you’ for a job well done,” Murphy’s email said.
Additional updates
At approximately 6:45 p.m. Saturday evening, Murphy provided a situation update.
“The United States Coast Guard informed me this evening that after their last flyover, the vessel’s fuel tank appears to still be secure. It is their opinion that the fuel we have on our beach is possibly remnants from the vessel’s bilge. The salvage boat will be on site between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday morning,” Murphy said via text message.
At approximately 1 p.m. on Sunday, Murphy provided a text message update that said, “Over 75 cubic yards of debris were picked up off our beaches. Last few pieces of debris placed in museum lot to be cut up and removed.”
At 6:40 p.m. Sunday evening, Murphy provided another text message update regarding the efforts to place a circular fuel spill containment boom in the water above and around the hull of the sunken ship.
“Not good news. Hoping for early a.m. placement tomorrow,” Murphy said in his text message that also contained a message he received from a Coast Guard representative.
“Sir, the tug and barge was on scene but could not conduct operations due to 4-foot seas and high winds. Additionally, these conditions would be outside of the parameters for effective boom deployment. Their plan tonight is to anchor behind the Island and get started first thing in the morning. Forecast tomorrow is much more favorable. They will be placing the buoy on the wreck this evening,” the Coast Guard message said.
When contacted at 10 p.m. Sunday evening, Murphy said the plan is to place 3,000 feet of containment boom in the water surrounding the submerged hull. Murphy said the entire superstructure is gone and all that remains is the hull.
This debris that appears to be a bait well remained just offshore of Anna Maria Sunday afternoon. – Dan Murphy | Submitted
Murphy said the city’s cleanup efforts were for the most part complete, with the exception of a large piece of debris still floating just offshore. Murphy said the Coast Guard’s aerial surveillance did not indicate a great deal of additional floating debris headed toward the Island.
“It’s pretty much over at this time, except for whether I’m going to get the money from the insurance company. That’s a whole different story,” Murphy said.
This crew from Manatee County played a key role in the Anna Maria cleanup efforts. – Charlie Hunsicker | Submitted
“When the mayor put out a call for help to respond to literally a shipwreck off Anna Maria Island, we bring the Cavalry!” said Charlie Hunsicker, director of Manatee County’s Parks and Natural Resources Department. “Got to be proud of this multi-department, multi-city team effort.”
When contacted Monday morning, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said, “To my knowledge, we didn’t have a tremendous amount of debris, but our public works department and police department worked together to clean it up.”
ANNA MARIA – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three mariners from a 70-foot commercial fishing vessel that took on water and ran aground Friday evening in rough seas two miles west of Anna Maria Island.
The fishermen are “OK,” according to boat owner Joe Versaggi, of Tampa-based Versaggi Shrimp Corp. But pieces of the Warrior, along with some fuel, continued to wash up on Anna Maria Island’s beaches this afternoon, floating south past Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach and reaching Longboat Key.
While the Coast Guard reported earlier today that the hull of the vessel appeared intact, some of the 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel was reported leaking.
“The United States Coast Guard informed me this evening that after their last flyover, the vessel’s fuel tank appears to still be secure. It is their opinion that the fuel we have on our beach is possibly from remnants from the vessel’s bilge,” Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said. A salvage boat is expected to reach the site on Sunday morning between 8-10 a.m. to remove the hull, engine and fuel tanks, he said.
Cortez commercial fisherman Mike Fannon cleaned up some boat debris washing into the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria this morning, after seeing the Warrior in the Gulf of Mexico off Anna Maria Island on Friday and noting that “it was too close to the reef,” Capt. Kathe Fannon said. Debris was washing up on Beer Can Island (Greer Island) at the north end of Longboat Key around 2 p.m. today, she added.
Fuel and oil from the accident could impact bird populations on the Island, including terns and laughing gulls, said Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox.
It’s too early for shorebirds to begin nesting, and sea turtle nesting season is over until May 1, but some local sea turtles could be affected, as could the seagrass they feed in, she said.
According to the Coast Guard press release, “A Coast Guard Station Cortez 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew arrived at 7:50 p.m. to the 70-foot commercial fishing vessel Warrior, took the three crew members off the vessel and transferred them to a dock in Cortez with no medical concerns.”
This section of the commercial fishing vessel Warrior washed ashore on the sand in Holmes Beach. – Sarah Parsons | Submitted
According to the press release, “Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a call on VHF-Channel 16 from the Warrior operator reporting they had 2 feet of water on board and pumps were unable to keep up with the flooding. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater also responded. The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the vessel for possible pollution.”
The vessel examination sticker is affixed to a window of the fishing vessel debris that washed ashore in Holmes Beach. – Sarah Parsons | Submitted
The Coast Guard press release includes a few seconds of video footage that shows the Coast Guard vessel approaching the Warrior in distress.
This shipwreck debris was spotted offshore of Bean Point Saturday morning. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Debris field and cleanup efforts
The abandoned Warrior later broke apart and much of the ship’s debris washed ashore along the northern tip of Anna Maria Island at Bean Point.
This morning, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and Public Works Manager Dean Jones investigated the debris field and initiated the city’s cleanup response.
Anna Maria Public Works Manager Dean Jones and Mayor Dan Murphy toured the debris field Saturday morning. – Kristin Swain | Sun
“It’s a shrimp boat out of Tampa, owned by the Versaggi Shrimp Corporation out of Tampa,” Murphy said, adding the shrimp company’s insurer will be asked to pay for the cleanup efforts.
The debris field includes wooden planks, green plastic bags and more. – Kristin Swain | Sun
“They’re going to have to pay for it. I’ve informed the Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We started taking the debris out. We got a hold of the county and the county’s bringing in reinforcements to help us pull up the debris. I couldn’t allow that debris to sit there. There’s about a mile-and-a-half to 2 miles of debris on the beach. There’s timbers, rusty nails and bolts and more. It’s a public safety hazard,” Murphy said.
“The beach isn’t closed, but we’d like people to stay away because it’s dangerous with all the debris and diesel fuel. The diesel fuel spill starts at Bean Point and ends at Cypress. The debris field starts at Bean Point and goes all the way down to the entrance to the city at White Avenue,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the Coast Guard and DEP are monitoring the fuel spill.
“FDEP is on board for the fuel spill and they’re supposed to get back to me with their advice. We’ve got two big containers that we’re putting at the end of Magnolia Avenue to collect the debris we’re picking up on the beach,” Murphy said.
When contacted at approximately 1 p.m. this afternoon, Joe Versaggi confirmed the Warrior was part of the Versaggi Shrimp Corporation’s Tampa-based fishing fleet.
“It was our boat. We’re trying to get a dive crew and a salvage crew out there now,” Versaggi said.
This large piece of shipwreck debris washed ashore at Bean Point. – Kristin Swain | Sun
When asked about the Warrior’s crew, Versaggi said, “They’re all OK.”
Versaggi said he spoke to Murphy about the cleanup efforts.
“I told him to call the insurance adjuster,” Versaggi said.
When contacted a few minutes later, Murphy said, “I talked to their insurance adjuster and they’re going to compensate us for all our work. That is not a problem. I am saving the debris for Mr. Versaggi because he wants to inspect it.”
When contacted earlier this morning, Jones commented on the debris field and the pending cleanup efforts.
“It’s bad. It basically broke apart from what we can tell. There’s fuel up on Bean Point. You can smell diesel fuel. There’s all these green bags out there on the beach. There’s wood everywhere with nails in it. There’s baskets, cartons and other debris. We called everyone from Public Works to be here as quickly as possible.”
This is some of the debris that washed ashore at Bean Point. – Charlie Trygg | Submitted
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