(BALTIMORE) — A 104-foot megayacht was refloated and removed from Chesapeake Bay on Aug. 31 after running aground and partially capsizing a month earlier.
On July 27, response agencies received a report stating the vessel Lovebug had run aground about a half-mile offshore between Beverly Beach and Curtis Point, Md. The five people on board were safely removed from the vessel by a good Samaritan and a tow boat.
First responders including a U.S. Coast Guard Station Annapolis 29-foot boat crew and Maryland Natural Resources Police were dispatched to assist. Oil boom was deployed around the vessel by a salvage company to mitigate any potential pollution while pollution responders from the Coast Guard and Maryland Department of the Environment were deployed to assess the situation.
Local, state and federal partners continued to monitor the operation during the yacht’s subsequent transit to Dorchester, N.J., standing by to support if needed.
“Throughout this process, (Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region) and the Maryland Department of the Environment provided oversight of salvage efforts to ensure the safe operations while minimizing any environmental impacts from the sunken motoryacht Lovebug,” said Geoffrey Donahue, director of the Maryland Department of the Environment Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “We commend the salvors for their expertise in successfully refloating the vessel without further incident.”
Partner agencies and Donjon Marine Co. coordinated throughout the four-week-long salvage operation.
The cause of the grounding is under investigation.
– U.S. Coast Guard
