May. 23, 2024 19:30 PM EST

Defunct 1950S-Era Cruise Ship Takes On Water And Leaks Pollutants In California River Delta

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows official representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the City of Stockton respond to the sinking vessel Aurora, a non-operational 294-foot cruise ship permanently moored northwest of Stockton on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. A containment boom has been placed around a defunct 1950s-era cruise ship that began sinking and leaking pollution in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, authorities said. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward Wargo/U.S. Coast Guard via AP) Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward Wargo, ASSOCIATED PRESS
This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows official representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the City of Stockton respond to the sinking vessel Aurora, a non-operational 294-foot cruise ship permanently moored northwest of Stockton on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. A containment boom has been placed around a defunct 1950s-era cruise ship that began sinking and leaking pollution in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, authorities said. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward Wargo/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard District 11 shows The Aurora, a non-operational 294-foot cruise ship moored northwest of Stockton, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, that began to sink and discharge product. A containment boom has been placed around the defunct 1950s-era cruise ship that began sinking and leaking pollution in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, authorities said. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP)
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STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — A containment boom has been placed around a defunct 1950s-era cruise ship that began sinking and leaking pollution in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, authorities said.

The 294-foot (90-meter) ship permanently moored in Little Potato Slough northwest of the city of Stockton began to sink in 13 feet (4 meters) of water on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

A sheen was observed on the water, and containment booms were deployed around the vessel and the city's water intake pump station, the Coast Guard said. Photographs show the stern low in the water next to the slough's grassy embankment.

It was not immediately clear what was leaking. The Coast Guard said the vessel recently changed ownership, so details about what pollutants were on board were unknown. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said the ship was leaking diesel fuel and oil.

A wildlife care organization was notified, but no oiled wildlife had been observed, the Coast Guard said.

The ship, currently known as the MV Aurora, was built in Germany in 1955 and formerly named Wappen von Hamburg. The ship moved around the world and ended up in the delta when a California man bought it in 2008 with dreams of restoring it as a shoreline attraction.

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