Efforts underway to prevent Aurora cruise ship from sinking, spilling fuel into San Joaquin County waters

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY – Crews are working to prevent a decommissioned 300-foot cruise ship that is docked in San Joaquin County waters from sinking and spilling fuel.

The sheriff’s office said that Aurora ship was sinking near Herman and Helen’s in the area of ​​Empire Tract and Eight Mile Road Wednesday morning after it developed a hole and began taking on water.

The vessel was also leaking diesel and oil into the Delta Waterway.

“There are some older boats here, some abandoned boats here, so this situation, I don’t want to say it’s very common,” said Heather Brent with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.

The San Joaquin County Boating Safety Unit and other land units are on the scene trying to coordinate efforts to contain the spill.

Cal OES, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the US Coast Guard Pollution Response Team were contacted.

“For our initial inspection of the area, we didn’t see any wildlife affected, but we want to make sure it stays that way,” Brent said.

Crews will be on site through Memorial Day weekend, and the Coast Guard has established a water safety zone around the vessel.

Operations throughout the weekend will consist of maintaining the containment boom, pollution recovery and conducting dive surveys.

Officials said the ship is in the same location as a the tug sank and leaked diesel and oil in September 2023.

Aurora, that was credited as an inspiration for the hit ’70s TV series “The Love Boat,” has been docked near Stockton for some time. Along with her “Love Boat” connection, Aurora also appeared in the 1963 James Bond film “From Russia with Love.”

People are being urged to avoid the area where Aurora is sinking.