Ocean Voyages Institute’s SV ‘Kaisei’ Sinks at Dock in Alameda

SV Kaisei, a large double-masted sailing ship operated by Sausalito’s Ocean Voyages Institute, was docked at Alameda when it began taking on water early Sunday evening. The Maritime Executive reports that the Alameda Fire Department began receiving alerts around 6:15 p.m. Crews arrived to find the vessel already submerged to its deck and pulling at the dock as it continued its descent. Kaisei came to rest on the Bay floor, her masts and rigging listing toward the dock.

We spoke with Ocean Voyages Institute (OVI) founder and president Mary Crowley, who was busy working with local authorities and teams to address environmental issues, and assess the vessel’s condition and prospects for recovery. “It’s a real tragedy,” Ms. Crowley told us. “The Coast Guard believes the sinking may have been caused by something large hitting the vessel,” OVI later stated.

The organization’s first concerns were for any environmental impacts that may result. Alameda Fire had deployed booms around the vessel immediately to prevent any oils from spreading. Ocean Voyages then engaged Parker Diving to add more booms, and NCR Republic to remove any oil captured by the booms. Initially, the ship was thought to be holding 400 gallons of fuel. The fuel removal was conducted by Power Engineering, and Ms. Crowley said the ship had held only approximately 200 gallons.

“We are happy to report that currently all of these operations have been successful. We are continuing to give our full attention to making sure that all fuel and oil on the ship is removed so that it does not cause any pollution in the waters,” the organization said in a press notice

Kaisei has served as a vital platform for global sail training since 2004, and ocean research since 2009, including expeditions to the North Pacific Gyre in partnership with Scripps Institute of Oceanography and California EPA. The ship’s work laid the foundation for Ocean Voyages Institute’s large-scale ocean cleanup operations, including the use of satellite-tagged “ghost nets” recovered by wind-powered vessels. That task is now being addressed by vessels with larger cargo holds such as SV KWAI, which offloaded a cargo of ghost nets and trash in Sausalito in 2022.. And although Kaisei has been stationary at the dock for some time (how long is unclear to us), maintenance crew have been aboard her three to five days a week.

By late Wednesday the oil and fuel concerns had been successfully addressed, and the organization’s attentions can now turn to Kaisei’s recovery. “We’re very sad that this has happened,” Ms. Crowley continued, and said they hope to receive reports from salvagers in the coming days. “The longer she’s in the water, the more damage is being done.”

According to Ocean Voyages Institute’s website, Kaisei was launched in 1990. She has visited over 15 countries, crewed by volunteers from over 26 nations, and sailing more than 40,000 miles. Ms. Crowley says the ship was an ideal sail-training and research vessel, and she is hopeful for its recovery and repair. “Ocean Voyages Institute, the Board of Directors, and the whole team, want to give huge thanks to the Alameda Fire Department, the US Coast Guard, the State of California Fish and Wildlife division, the Alameda Police Department, and Stone Boatyard,” the organization said.

Kaisei is operated by Ocean Voyages Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1979 by a group of international sailors, educators, and conservationists with a mission of teaching the maritime arts and sciences, and researching and preserving the world’s oceans.