Crews raise sunken boat

July 31, 2012

The Arthur J was finally floated from the bottom of Lake Huron about 3 a.m. Monday after crews worked throughout the night to get it pumped full of air. The dredge leaked an estimated 625 gallons of diesel fuel into Lake Huron. Absorbent booms were placed around the site and dragged out of the lake today.

“Safety of the salvage crews, divers and environmental responders has been paramount throughout the incident,” Cmdr. Gary Koehler, incident commander for the U.S. Coast Guard, said in a statement. “Although challenged by adverse weather conditions and sea state throughout the week, everything came together today to execute a safe, technical and organized salvage operation. The professionalism and cooperation from all parties involved was truly impressive and instrumental to eliminating any further threat to this pristine international waterway.”

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