Crews working to remove wreckage of capsized boat in San Francisco

Vic Lee Image
ByVic Lee KGO logo
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Crews to remove wreckage of capsized boat in San Francisco
Crew are trying to figure out how to remove wreckage of a private cabin cruiser after it capsized and sent 30 people into the San Francisco Bay Saturday.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Crew are trying to figure out how to remove the wreckage of a private cabin cruiser, which went down Saturday during Fleet Week festivities.

The boat capsized in the waters off Fisherman's Wharf and at least 30 people had to be rescued.

PHOTOS: Dozens rescued after boat capsizes off San Francisco

This image shows San Francisco firefighters responding to a rescue near Pier 45 after a boat with about 30 juveniles on board capsized in the Bay on Oct. 8, 2016.
KGO-TV

Crews plan to remove the wreckage near Pier 45 without causing an oil spill. That process began Tuesday with the salvage company, US Coast Guard, San Francisco police and SFPD Marine Unit all assessing the situation.

The US Coast Guard was out in waters near Pier 45 Tuesday morning, making sure the capsized boat, the Khaleesi, had been properly marked by the salvage company.

All 30 people who fell into the water were rescued and at least eight people, including three children were hospitalized. All have since been released.

Divers inspected the 45-foot boat after the SFPD Marine Unit located it Monday using sonar.

RELATED: SFPD using sonar to locate capsized boat in SF Bay

The salvage team installed another buoy and checked the vessel's tanks containing an estimated 75 gallons of gasoline.

Chief Marine Science Technician Cody Staneart is with the US Coast Guard Incident Management Division. "They went down and they plugged the fuel vents on that vessel, so we shouldn't have any leaking," he said.

Staneart says the salvage company hopes to lift the boat from the water Friday, but first they have to figure out exactly how to do it. "You need to actually do an investigation to see exactly how it's sitting on the bottom before you can make a plan to salvage the vessel," Staneart said.

ABC7 News contacted one of the three owners of the Khaleesi. The co-owner said by phone neither he nor the others wanted to talk at this time.

The US Coast Guard says they've been cooperating and are paying for salvage operations.

The SFPD Marine Unit working with the US Coast Guard is the lead agency investigating any possible criminal violations.

"What was the weight rating of the boat? How many people should have been on the boat? Were there enough life jackets that were on the boat and other factors we're looking at," SFPD Marine Unit Capt. Jack Hart said.

San Francisco police told ABC7 News they interviewed all of the people on that boat, including the boat owners. Their main question remains was there any recklessness or negligence involved.

The SFPD Marine Unit captain told ABC7 News they have gathered a lot of video, cellphone images, but would still like more from the witnesses on Saturday.