98-Foot Ship Runs Aground In Manatee County

The Coast Guard rescued seven people early this morning from a 98-foot commercial vessel that ran aground in Longboat Pass. No one was injured in the incident. At 3 a.m., Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Operations Center received a report from Winston Knauss, the captain and owner of the Sir Winston.According to a release: Kanuss told the Coast Guard that the vessel was taking on water. Because of the dense fog conditions, a tow boat could not be deployed, so the Coast Guard's Station Cortez sent a 25-foot response boat out to the Sir Winston. The rescue boat arrived on scene at 3:38 a.m., and its crew was able to safely transfer the thee women and four men off the grounded vessel and back to Coast Guard Station Cortez. The Coast Guard is currently assessing the condition of the Sir WInston with a marine inspection and investigation team. No pollution has yet been reported as a result of the grounding.