25 Jul 2011

American Samoa fishing boat successfully towed off reef

5:10 pm on 25 July 2011

A fishing boat which went aground on the reef last week on American Samoa's main island of Tutuila was successfully towed off over the weekend.

The Inja couldn't refloat itself after all of its fuel and oil load and two tonne of fish were offloaded.

Men from Faganeanea, the village closest to where the vessel was grounded helped offload the catch and the boat's owner donated a large portion of the fish to the villagers.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Steven Caskey says the vessel hadn't suffered any damage and there was no oil spilt.

The Inja, lost its engine while returning to Pago Pago harbour after a fishing trip and drifted onto the reef last Wednesday morning.

The crew of seven had been safely rescued.

The Coast Guard is investigating how the boat ended up on the reef.