Anchorage Daily News

A 59-foot commercial fishing boat that capsized near Unalaska Island is drifting toward the Gulf of Alaska and attempts to salvage it could begin as early as today, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The vessel is co-owned by Gov. Sean Parnell's rural affairs adviser, John Moller.

The other owner is Moller's sister Sandra, director of real estate and construction for Cook Inlet Region Inc. It's too early to say why the Carley Renee -- which was fishing for Pacific cod -- overturned, Sandra Moller said Saturday.

The vessel issued a mayday call at 4:42 p.m. Friday. The crew said the boat was taking on water and they were abandoning ship 22 miles east of Unalaska Island, according to the Coast Guard.

The crew of four people, ages 21 to 38, escaped to a life raft before the vessel capsized, the Coast Guard said.

A nearby fishing vessel, the Guardian, rescued the fishermen within 20 minutes after the mayday.

"There were no serious injuries," said Ensign Allie Ferko. "It was just a couple minutes later when the (Coast Guard Cutter Munro) got on scene."

The Carley Renee carried an estimated 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 20 gallons of lube oil, Ferko said.

A Coast Guard helicopter returned to the scene Saturday to check on the condition of the boat.

"It's not endangering any sort of animal population and the currents are taking it out toward the gulf where the minor (oil) sheen they see now will dissipate quickly," Ferko said.

A salvage company plans to inspect the boat today, Sandra Moller said. "If they are able to tow it, they'll tow it into, likely, Dutch Harbor."

Moller, who was appointed in February by then-Gov. Sarah Palin as a top aide on rural issues, couldn't be reached for comment Saturday.

Read The Village, the ADN's blog about rural Alaska, at adn.com/thevillage. Twitter updates: twitter.com/adnvillage. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334.

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