Update on grounded vessels on Ocracoke Island, and near Oregon Inlet

Over the past ten days, a total of three vessels have grounded within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, including a vessel on Ocracoke Island and two vessels near Oregon Inlet. Fortunately, all onboard each of the vessels made it safely to the beach without any reported injuries.

The following is a recap of each grounding incident and the status of removal for each vessel.

Ocracoke Inlet Grounding

On Tuesday, Jan. 25, a 55-foot-long vessel named the Vivens Aqua, registered in Maryland, grounded near the south end of Ocracoke Island after attempting to navigate Ocracoke Inlet. After several attempts to remove the Vivens Aqua failed, all fuel oil was removed from the vessel.

Status

The Vivens Aqua remains on the beach and there have been no attempts to remove the vessel over water in the last couple of days. The owner of the vessel has been in contact with his insurance company and a salvage company and continues to stay in touch with Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Once a salvage plan is presented, the National Park Service will review it and determine if a special use permit can be issued for removal attempts using a different method.

Oregon Inlet Groundings

On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 2, a 35-foot-long vessel named Reel Lucky, registered in New Jersey, and a 32-foot-long vessel named Bite Me, registered in Pennsylvania, grounded on the beach near the north side of Oregon Inlet.

The vessels reportedly bumped into each other a few times during the grounding incident.

Status

Both vessels remain grounded near each other, approximately 0.8 miles south of Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s off-road vehicle ramp 4. Salvage efforts for these vessels may occur as early as this afternoon, pending the receipt and approval of salvage plans and the issuance of National Park Service special use permits.