After spending 26 days aground off the coast of St. Thomas, the Bonnie G is now moored at the Crown Bay Sandfill dock.
The vessel was successfully refloated on Monday by salvage crews and Coast Guard officials, the Coast Guard announced, after a weekend of preparation which included ensuring all necessary equipment was in place for the refloating and subsequent towing operations.
Two tugboats were connected to the bow and stern of the Bonnie G via towing lines. Crews were simultaneously pressurizing five vessel compartments with air, and emptying water ballast tanks. Once those operations had been completed, the tugboats pulled the grounded vessel loose, and then towed it to its current mooring location.
Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Flowers, incident commander for the Bonnie G refloating operation, praised the multi-agency crew for their efforts in achieving a successful response. "We are appreciative of the cooperative efforts to protect the pristine waters of the US Virgin Islands by safely removing this pollution threat and preventing major environmental impacts," she said.
Now, Bonnie G's owners will co-ordinate with the salvage team to remove any remaining oil, the damaged cargo, and begin salvage or repair operations on the vessel itself.
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