Fishing vessel under pollution watch after it lost power near Unalaska

A fishing vessel that lost power is being monitored outside of Unalaska for potential pollution, the U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday.

Responders — including the Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation — set up a unified command to watch for potential pollution from the vessel Akutan, which remained moored Sunday in Captains Bay.

The ship lost electrical power Saturday, causing levels of anhydrous (waterless) ammonia to rise.

Crew members and responders restored power to control ammonia levels, but personnel from Two Resolve Marine Services were staying aboard in case of an emergency, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard said 5,000 gallons of oily water from the engine room bilge and 1,200 gallons of oily mixture from one of the slop tanks was removed from the vessel over the weekend. Responders were continuing to monitor levels of ammonia on the vessel and were removing various petroleum products.