Global Diving & Salvage Responds to Collision, Grounding and Environmental Recovery

On March 21, 2022, near the extremely valuable Sitka herring fishery, the tugboat Western Mariner was shoved, causing it to run hard aground. Global Diving & Salvage (Global) was engaged to mitigate the resulting pollution and salvage the vessel.

During the collision and the grounding, the vessel suffered significant hull damage requiring immediate action to contain and recover the fuel released during the incident, and to remove the threat posed by the remaining 18,000 gallons of fuel onboard. Challenged by weather, extreme tides, and limited maneuvering space, Global collaborated with stakeholders, the owner, Western Towboat, Sitka based salvor Hanson Maritime, and SeaPro, the primary OSRO in SE Alaska, to contain the release and ensure the vessel's safe and environmentally responsible recovery.

With a comprehensive salvage and engineering assessment completed, the salvage plan was completed, submitted, and approved by the Unified Command. External lift bags were strategically positioned around the vessel to provide additional buoyancy and stability. At the direction of Global’s Salvage Master, towlines were deployed, and a light strain applied as the crew awaited the coming high tide. As high tide approached, the Salvage Master applied additional strain to the wreck which allowed the vessel to slip off the rocks where she was pulled into deeper water. The vessel was monitored for water ingress and towed to Sitka where she was prepared for transit to Seattle for repairs.

Beyond the potentially devastating impacts to a fishery valuable to both commercial and indigenous interests, the successful salvage of the Western Mariner present-