Questions arise over ownership of sinking cruise ship in California Delta
(FOX40.COM) — The 1950s cruise ship Aurora has now sat partially submerged in the California Delta near Stockton for two days, but questions have risen concerning the ownership of the nearly 300-foot vessel.
In a news release from the United States Coast Guard on Wednesday, the ownership of the ship was mentioned as having recently changed hands.
Ship sinking, leaking diesel fuel and oil into the California Delta
The Aurora was purchased in 2008 by a man named Chris Willson, who had been working to restore the ship with the intention of using it as a wedding venue, event center or museum, according to previous interviews and articles about the ship.
One of the reasons the USCG noted the recent change in ownership is due to there being no clear answer as to how much pollutants may be onboard the ship.
Hamburg to Stockton in 50 years: The story of the ‘Aurora’
“The U.S. Coast Guard issued a notice of federal assumption and hired Global Diving and Salvage as a contractor to address the pollution, deploy hard boom and assess the status of the vessel,” the USCG wrote in the news release.
The rear of the nearly 300-foot cruise ship has sunk in about 13 feet of water and additional mooring lines have been attached to increase its stability.
Also involved in the clean-up effort is the Office of Spill Prevention and Response, which shared on Friday that pollution recovery and dive surveys will continue over the weekend.
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