TowBoatUS San Diego Starts Massive Debris Removal in San Diego Bay

Vessel Assist San Diego Starts Massive Debris and Vessel Removal from San Diego Bay.

What looks on the surface to be a vacant closed A-8 anchorage with a few hazard floats on it from the surface is a literal junkyard of sunken and broken boats.  Over the next 8 weeks Vessel Assist San Diego will be using Divers to identify and remove, using Baskets and Cranes from Pacific Tug Boat Service, over 650 Vessels and Debris fields.   A few years ago Vessel Assist San Diego removed the most dangerous of the wrecks which amounted in 108 tons of debris.  This clean up should net 500-700 tons of debris.  Only a few of the vessels will actually come up in one piece. The wreck sites have been prioritized in order of importance to be removed.  Just about all of these vessels were abandoned after they sank in the once overcrowded  anchorage. Robert Butler President of Vessel Assist San Diego says, ” Some areas have literally dozens of boats piled on top of each other broken apart in heaps of debris.” Most of the sites will be cleaned up using a Landing craft with a 60′ boom crane on it.  The larger vessels will be pulled up with a 75 ton crane on a barge.  So if you’re in the South Bay and see a crane in the A-8 anchorage please give a slow bell going by as some of these lifts are heavy and on floating equipment.  All of the debris will be separated into Metal and wood and sent to the land fill by dumpster.