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Refloated ship 'Deep Sea' in Penn Cove to be towed to Seattle

Chad Collins
/
Flickr

COUPEVILLE, Wash. — The sunken derelict ship that was refloated in Penn Cove is scheduled to be towed from Whidbey Island to a Seattle shipyard Wednesday to be dismantled.

A spill from the ship has cost nearly $2 million, so far.

Ecology Department spokesman Larry Altose says a tug boat has been ordered for the 140-foot Deep Sea that was raised from the bottom Sunday by a crane.

The weather and a Coast Guard permit will determine when it can be moved to a Seattle drydock. Fire and spill inspectors will look inside the ship before it's dismantled.

It caught fire and sank May 12, leaking fuel that forced the closure of commercial and recreational shellfish beds in Penn Cove. The state Health Department is testing to determine when they may reopen.

Altose says the spill response by various agencies has cost nearly $2 million.

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