• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Rescue crews refloat grounded Alaska tanker

Posted on: Friday, 3 February 2006, 15:11 CST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Rescue crews refloated a tanker carrying nearly 5 million gallons of oil and gasoline on Friday, one day after the vessel ran aground in Alaska's Cook Inlet and caused a small spill, a state official said.

Emergency crews emptied the tanker's ballast water to lighten the vessel and then used three tugboats to pull the double-hulled Seabulk Pride to deeper water during high tide at about 8:30 a.m. (1730 GMT), Lynda Giguere, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

A fourth ship is accompanying the tanker to break ice in its path, but crews will inspect for any leaks before sending the tanker back out into the sea under it own power.

"They're not going to move it very far until they've thoroughly inspected it," said Giguere.

The 600-foot (183-meter) ship broke loose from its moorings early on Thursday morning when it was struck by an ice floe while loading at Tesoro Corp.'s refinery at Nikiski on Cook Inlet southwest of Anchorage.

The ice floe also knocked the loading arm away, causing about 75 gallons of oil to spill into Cook Inlet and another 125 gallons to spill onto the ship's deck, according to Alaskan authorities.

The vessel is owned and operated by a subsidiary of Seacor Holdings Inc. and was chartered by Tesoro.

The tanker was carrying nearly 4 million gallons of Vacuum Tower Bottom Blend, a residual, asphalt-like oil not refined at Tesoro's Nikiski facility.

It was also carrying nearly a million gallons (3.8 million liters) of bunker oil, gasoline, heavy vacuum gas oil and diesel fuel, Alaskan authorities said.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez supertanker grounded on a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling about 11 million gallons of crude oil.

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category