The multi-million dollar yacht that ran aground on a reef off the coast of Culebra, Puerto Rico, was lucky to survive Hurricane Ernesto unscathed. The salvage service is now mobilizing additional equipment to safely lift the yacht from the shallows – at least if the weather holds during hurricane season.

On 21 July the catamaran sailing yacht Obsession (MMSI 378112381) ran aground off Flamenco Beach, a popular vacation destination on the island of Culebra. The vessel remained afloat, but a pontoon was submerged, and the crew was unable to pump out the water and salvage their own vessel. Because the yacht contained an estimated 800 to 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel and the reef is an environmentally sensitive area, the Coast Guard took control of the response and tapped the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) to fund the cleanup.

Salvor Resolve Marine was hired to defuel and salvage the vessel. With the assistance of a subcontractor, the Resolve team pumped most of the fuel out of the yacht by the end of July. However, the rescuers believe the vessel still poses a “significant pollution risk” due to the remaining oil products and hydraulic oil. The access hatches for the remaining petroleum on board the vessel are submerged or inaccessible.

“Fortunately for the response team, Tropical Storm Ernesto had no impact on the wreck site,” Chief Warrant Officer Jamie Testa, the federal government’s on-site coordinator, said in a statement.obsession remains aground and stable, with no signs of external pollution,” Testa said.

Resolve is currently mobilizing a 400-ton scissor-leg floating barge from the Port of Baltimore and plans to lift and recover the vessel from the grounding site – keeping a close eye on weather conditions. The wreck’s final destination has not yet been determined.

After the grounding, the owner of the $3 million yacht told the Coast Guard that the salvage would require “efforts beyond its capabilities.” Under OSLTF rules, the cost of a government-organized salvage operation is normally recovered from the responsible party, usually the owner of the vessel when it runs aground.