On the evening of December 23, 2009, the tanker escort tug Pathfinder ran aground on Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound, Alaska. The vessel has 127,000 gallons of diesel on board. The center bottom tank, containing 22,000 gallons, is ruptured and an unknown amount has spilled. Bligh Reef was the site of the 1989 grounding and spill of the tanker Exxon Valdez. USCG has requested scientific support including trajectory of the spilled fuel oil.

Note: Documents are posted chronologically and early reports likely contain factual errors. These errors may be corrected in a later report.