In November 1996, a team of marine researchers surveyed and filmed the wreck in a two-person submarine. "Montebello", apparently still loaded with of crude oil, was discovered to be resting on the sea floor in of water adjacent to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The wreck was reexamined in 2010 for the level of deterioration and to determine if the oil was still in the hold and if so, did it pose an environmental threat. The researchers reported in October 2011 that the cargo had dissipated into the vast ocean shortly after sinking.