The 30.78m superyacht La Dolce Vita caught fire and sank on 18 March near the Marquesas islands, which fall within the Florida Key National Marine Sanctuary and the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex. The accident has caused diesel to spill and a cleanup process is underway.

La Dolce Vita was carrying nearly 4,500 gallons of diesel, but it has not yet been made clear how much of this diesel has spilt into the waters.

“The owner of the vessel is taking responsibility to contain and remove the resulting diesel spill,” explained a US Coast Guard spokesperson. “A commercial salvage crew deployed a containment boom to contain a visible light sheen.”

"Right now, the Coast Guard's main concern is the environmental threat," added Chief Petty Officer Thomas Goggans, Coast Guard Sector Key West incident management supervisor. "The location of the fuel spill is within a National Marine Sanctuary and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge."

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but it has been reported that the conflagration broke out on La Dolce Vita’s starboard generator. All six people that were on board were evacuated safely by tender and transported ashore.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

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