On December 8, 2004 the M/V Selendang Ayu, a Malaysian bulk carrier, ran aground off the coast of Unalaska Island in western Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The grounding caused the ship to break in half and resulted in an oil spill of approximately 336,000 gallons of fuel oil and diesel fuel that led to an environmental cleanup lasting until June 2006. During the rescue operations a coast guard helicopter crashed and six of the vessel’s crew died just moments after being rescued, while the last persons onboard the ship, the master and a rescuer, watched a few minutes later the ship breaking in half.
Officer of the Watch 