Fuel to be removed from vessel grounded on Ocracoke

The U.S. Coast Guard will oversee the removal of fuel oil from a grounded 55-foot yacht on a Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the coming days, the National Park Service said Friday.

The yacht, Vivens Aqua, grounded Tuesday near the south end of Ocracoke Island on a National Park Service beach. The grounding occurred at around 1 a.m., the owner told the Park Service.

Efforts to tow the grounded yacht back into the ocean from the beach were unsuccessful, officials said. Once the fuel oil is removed and the vessel becomes lighter, there may be an opportunity to refloat and tow it from the beach.

The Park Service said it will continue to work with Coast Guard Sector North Carolina and the owner of the vessel on the most appropriate removal methods after the fuel oil is removed.