On the evening of 16 January 2001, Jessica ran aground at Wreck Bay, at the entrance to the port of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galápagos Province, located on the southwestern coast of San Cristóbal Island.

Recovery attempts began immediately, with the Ecuadorian Navy, the GNP, and local fishermen and volunteers containing and recovering the oil from the ocean surface.

On San Cristóbal, seven Galápagos sea lions and 17 birds (brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies) were affected by the fuel oil spill.

A total of 175,000 US gallons (660,000 L) of diesel and fuel oil spilled into the sea; this was one of the worst environmental disasters in the archipelago's history.

Lynn W. Lougheed, a biologist studying with the Charles Darwin Foundation at the time, was in charge of coordinating the research on species affected by the spill of the MV Jessica.