The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the environmental impacts of a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Alaska.
The vessel, which was carrying more than 3,000 new vehicles, sank about 450 miles southwest of Adak, a remote island off Alaska’s southwestern coast.
The Coast Guard said 70 of the vehicles were fully electric and nearly 700 were hybrids.
"Two salvage vessels, Garth Foss and Salvage Worker, remain on scene and are conducting continuous assessments of the area with pollution response equipment onboard to respond to any potential signs of pollution," the Coast Guard said in a press release.
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An oil spill response vessel is also expected to arrive in the area on Thursday.
“The safety of the responders remains our top priority,” said Capt. Christopher Culpepper, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic. “We're working closely with Zodiac Maritime in an advisory capacity to ensure a swift and effective response to any potential signs of pollution.”
The Associated Press reports that there were 22 crewmembers on the ship, all of whom used a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby vessel.
The ship, which is operated by a company out of London, was slated to deliver the vehicles to Mexico.
