The 561-foot ferry Caribbean Fantasy was moored at Pier 15 in San Juan Harbor on Saturday as the authorities managed to refloat the vessel late on Friday by shifting sea state, the USCG said.
A Unified Command team, consisting of the coast guard, Caribbean Fantasy’s owner Baja Ferries, and other agencies, is developing an assessment and disposal plan for potential hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
A 100-yard safety zone was established around the 1989-built ship, and the USCG said that there have been no reports of sheening or pollution in the vicinity.
Fire fighting teams that entered the engine room Saturday morning reported that only a single source of fire contained in the engine room remained. The Puerto Rico Fire Department extinguished the fire using 3,000 gallons of seawater from the harbor later that day.
The Panamanian-flagged ship ignited on August 17 while it was some 1 mile off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The vessel soon ran aground half a nautical mile offshore of Punta Salinas.
The fire reportedly began in the engine room of the ship and spread to other compartments on board.