Holed tanker moving upriver
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NEW ORLEANS — Divers have patched a hole in a cargo ship that was leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico near Venice, and the vessel was headed up the Mississippi River to a repair facility on Sunday, authorities said.
Caost Guard Capt. Edward Stanton said it’s not yet clear exactly how much oil leaked from a 2-inch hole in the vessel Pac Alkaid, but it doesn’t appear to be a major environmental concern.
Stanton called the spill a “medium” one, which would mean a spill of more than 10,000 gallons.
Early estimates were that as much as 12,000 gallons of the bunker oil may have escaped, but Staton said any number put on the amount of lost fuel at this point would be speculation.
Authorities won’t know for sure how much of the oil escaped until the vessel is docked for repairs and the remaining oil aboard can be measured, Stanton said.
The ship was carrying about 400 tons of bunker oil.
Stanton said the vessel was headed up the Mississippi River on Sunday to a repair facility and the investigation continues.
Coast Guard officials want to interview the ship’s crew and pilots to try to figure out what may have caused the damage.
The vessel reported the leak about 2 a.m. Friday, and the Coast Guard ordered it to move farther out into the Gulf to keep oil from washing onshore, according to a news release.
Divers put a temporary patch over the hole in a fuel tank about five feet below the waterline on Saturday.
Stanton said he flew over the site and didn’t see any wildlife harmed by the spill. He said it was a slow leak and that bunker oil is heavy and sinks.
“Luckily the damage was not severe and the rate of flow was not huge,” Stanton said.
Stanton said the crew reacted appropriately once the spill was discovered and began transferring oil to an undamaged ballast tank.
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