Pollution

Disaster Prevention and Management

ISSN: 0965-3562

Article publication date: 1 December 1999

908

Keywords

Citation

(1999), "Pollution", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 8 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.1999.07308eac.003

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited


Pollution

Pollution

14 August 1998 - Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

M container vessel Hansa Stralsund, spilled an estimated 1,268 gallons, 4.5 tonnes (before reported 40 tonnes) of unused lube oil into the basin at Puerto Quetzal after striking a wharf on 14 August, according to a representative of the ship's manager, Leonhardt and Blumberg of Hamburg. Harbour authorities encircled the vessel with two lines of containment boom and borrowed an oil recovery device from a private company, according to a Guatemala City newspaper. The ship managers contracted with Exxon and Texaco for spill response and expected them to complete work on 20 August, according to Hans Olsen of Leonhardt and Blumberg. The accident briefly paralysed 50 per cent of port operations, but the extent of economic and ecological damage is uncertain, the newspaper quotes port manager Fernando Paiz as saying.

15 August 1998 - Iioka-cho, Chiba, Japan

Local officials in Iioka-cho, Chiba prefecture, mounted a massive spill response on 15 August when heavy fuel oil from a collision between m chemical/molten sulphur tanker Yamabishi Maru No. 5 and mv Princess Seiko, tarred 4km of resort beach, reports Takeo Ikegami of the Japan Association of Marine Safety. Shoreline crews included 800 local officers and residents. About 30 vessels attacked the slick offshore, Ikegami reports. The cleanup took one week, he says. Authorities estimate that approximately 13,524 gallons, 46 tonnes, of bunker fuel spilled from Yamabishi Maru No. 5 after she collided with Princess Seiko at 01.00, local time about 5.5km east of Inubo Saki, Choshi City, Chiba, Ikegami says. Yamabishi Maru No. 5 sustained a 2m crack on the port side under the bridge, he adds. Labourers cleaned the sand beach by hand, removing a 1cm layer of oil, Ikegami said. Offshore, the local office of the Japan Maritime Safety Agency and local fishers used collection nets and adsorptive mats to collect oil and dispersed oil sheen with propeller wash. Iioka-cho town officials closed the beach during the cleanup, which affected about 5,000 resort visitors, Ikegami says. Officials also report small damage to fisheries, he says.

3 September 1998 - Rio Grande, Brazil

M chemical tanker Bahamas (12,909gt, built 1970), with 12,000 tonnes sulphuric acid developed a leak in her hull and tank, which contaminated acid and caused vessel to sit on bottom. After pumping about 3,000 tonnes acid to shore further attempts failed and it is now gradually being pumped over side with heavy contamination of harbour, which is expected to continue for further five days. In the meantime, no vessels allowed into Rio Grande port during this emergency.

9 September 1998 - Sulphuric acid continues to be pumped overboard into the harbour and about 5,000 tonnes still remains to be pumped out. Port movement has returned to normal and six Argentine naval vessels have entered port and are berthed near the Bahamas. Nothing is known about possible salvage operations. Vessel's bunkers are being discharged to shore. No measures to fight pollution are considered necessary as due to constant heavy rains and the Lagoa dos Patos is discharging vast quantities of fresh water out of the bar into the ocean and the small volume of acid being pumped over-board is quickly dissipated.

15 September 1998 - Bahamas still sitting on bottom in Rio Grande harbour and some 3,000 tonnes sulphuric acid remains on board. Since 12 September, pumping of acid into the water has stopped by federal justice. To date, there is no solution for the problem.

17 September 1998 - Salvage operations are in progress by Smit Tak BV, as sub-contractors to Loucas G. Matsas, Piraeus. The salvage team includes marine chemists and Brazilian experts. Fifteen tons of salvage equipment have been airlifted to Rio Grande. Special pumps to discharge contaminated cargo of sulphuric acid and contaminated bunkers rigged and bunker discharge to road trucks in progress. Presently cargo discharge operations have been stopped as the local authorities are evaluating all different options to resolve the problems in order to minimise the negative effects on the environment. Vessel is sitting alongside, almost full length, but with sufficient freeboard to perform pumping operations. After disposal operations of cargo and bunkers, the vessel will be re-floated.

25 September 1998 - At present her tanks are being vented and lubricating oil is being pumped out. Owners are trying to arrange for a vessel to transship cargo of sulphuric acid and contaminated water.

7 October 1998 - Bahamas is still aground in Rio Grande harbour. M chemical tanker Yeros is due to arrive 13 October to remove the remaining cargo of sulphuric acid.

29 October 1998 - M chemical tanker Bahamas is still aground in Rio Grande harbour. M chemical tanker Yeros transshipped about 5,500 tonnes of water with sulphuric acid and will discharge into international waters. They expect about 15 voyages to remove the remaining cargo. Next voyage is expected on 31 October.

4 September 1998 - Hokkaido, Japan

M tanker Daiju Maru No. 8 (998gt, built 1994), carrying gas oil and other fuel, was in collision with a small fishing vessel (Koei Maru No. 18) off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido at 03.40, a spokesman for the Japanese Coast Guard said. The cause of the accident appears to be due to insufficient watch by both vessels. Following the collision, the tanker spilled 260kl of gas oil into the ocean, the spokesman said. He said the oil spill was not expected to have much impact on the environment as the gas oil was so volatile that it would eventually be absorbed into the atmosphere. No one was injured in the collision, he said.

5 September 1998 - Manhattan, USA

A report, dated 5 September, New York states: Tank barge Ocean States (9,906gt, built 1975) carrying 7.4 million gallons of gasoline and oil ran aground early today in the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, spilling some fuel and forcing closure of the waterway to boat traffic. Workers used booms and skimming machines to remove oil from the river, while the gas evaporated. The barge, which sustained a ruptured bow when she hit bottom, was towed to a nearby pier. The barge was loaded with 3.5 million gallons of gasoline and 3.9 million gallons of heating oil when she ran aground before dawn, the Coast Guard said. No injuries were reported. The exact amount of the relatively minor fuel spill was not immediately known. The cause of the crash was under investigation. Coast Guard officials and representatives from Maritrans, the company that owns the barge, were evaluating damage and planning how to remove her volatile cargo.

6 September 1998 - The Coast Guard is responding to an oil and gasoline spill, which resulted when tank barge Ocean States ran aground in the lower East River in the vicinity of 17th Street, Manhattan and Newtown Creek, Brooklyn, New York. The US Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New York opened the East River at about 1030 this morning after the river had been closed to vessel traffic between Williamsburg Bridge and 59th Street Bridge. There are currently no restrictions on vessel traffic at this time. Ocean States is currently secured moored at Con Edison at North 1st Avenue and Kent Avenue, Brooklyn. The Coast Guard is awaiting a lightering plan to remove the oil and gasoline from the damaged cargo holds. Commercial divers will survey the barge below her hull. The extent and impact of the spill are being evaluated but it appears minor at this time. M tug Honour (155gt, built 1975) was east bound in the East River with Ocean States carrying about 3.5 million gallons of gasoline and about 3.9 million gallons of No. 2 heating oil when she ran aground at about 03.15. The Coast Guard immediately responded by dispatching personnel on scene to monitor the situation and movement of the damaged barge. New York City Fire Department has conducted explosive level monitoring and at this time readings have been below levels of concern. New York State Department of Environment Conservation air monitoring for benzene levels concentration continues. Honour and Ocean States are owned and operated by Maritrans, a marine transportation company based in Philadelphia. Maritrans has hired local response contractors for cleanup and salvage efforts. The cause of the grounding is under investigation by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port, New York, was relieved that the barge discharged only a small amount of light oil. This light oil and gasoline in the water quickly evaporated. Helicopter over-flights and shore line searches could not find any pockets of oil.

21 August 1998 - Brisbane, Australia

A press release from the Port of Brisbane Authority, dated 22 August, states: At 22.30, 21 August, m tanker Palmerston (26,162gt, built 1990) was alongside at No. 2 berth, Hamilton Reach, Brisbane River, and was discharging lubricating oil, when a spill occurred. Vessel's master immediately informed Brisbane Port Control of the spill, and the Port of Brisbane Corporation was informed shortly afterwards. Darkness and weather conditions initially made the size of the spill difficult to estimate. Personnel from the Port of Brisbane Corporation, the „Department of Transport, Brisbane City Council and the Department of the Environment made a visual inspection of the area 22 August and estimated the spill between 5 and 7.5 tonnes. A further inspection was made by helicopter, and oil sheens were visible in the immediate vicinity of the vessel, with further sheens extending from the Hamilton area to the vicinity of Gibson Island. Clean-up operations were in progress 22 August, with the sheens being broken up by propeller wash and water cannon. No chemical dispersants were required. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

16 September 1998 - Spitzbergen, Norway

Refrigerated m stern-trawling fish factory Arctic Corsair (1,266gt, built 1971) was leaking diesel fuel today in environmentally sensitive waters off the Arctic island of Spitzbergen after running aground on rocks, Norwegian rescue services said. Twenty-seven of the 35-member crew were airlifted from the trawler, which was listing at 10°, said Bent Jaintli, duty rescue controller at Bodo. The vessel ran aground in three to four metres of water in the ice fjord, north-west of Spitzbergen's main town Longyear. "The skipper was worried about the vessel capsizing and the crew was evacuated. Now she has been secured by other vessels," Jamtli said. He said the trawler has sustained damage under the water line at one tank containing 27 tonnes of diesel fuel. The vessel, owned by Boyd Line of Hull, was carrying a total load of 100 tonnes. "So far there is no sign of leakages from other areas. We don't know how big the slick is at the moment," Jamtli said. The Norwegian Pollution Authority was in the area trying to limit any damage to the fragile Arctic environment. Diesel oil is lighter than crude oil and is more easily dispersed. Another British trawler from the same fleet as the Arctic Corsair was due to arrive tomorrow to pull the stranded vessel free, Jamtli said.

17 September 1998 - Authorities on the island of Spitzbergen said today they had blood-tested five crew of stranded m stern-trawling fish factory Arctic Corsair on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol. The tests, which included the captain of the Arctic Corsair, were taken after the trawler ran aground yesterday in shallow waters north-west of Longyear. The grounded vessel, which was carrying 210 tonnes of diesel oil, was damaged under the waterline at one tank and has leaked fuel into the environmentally sensitive Arctic waters. "The results of the tests will be given to the Norwegian shipping authorities who will decide what to do if they are positive." Two boats were trying early today to empty around 100 tonnes of diesel fuel from the vessel before attempts could be made to refloat her. Refloating could only be tried at midnight and at midday tomorrow during high tide. Water depths in the area are between 2 and 10m. It was unknown how much diesel the ship had leaked.

13 September 1998 - Puerto Deseado, Argentina

A press report states: M trawler Triunfo (1,001gt, built 1966) spilt 900l of gas-oil after crashing against a berthing site while mooring at Puerto Deseado on 13 September. The Argentine Coast Guard, through the Breakdown and Fire Control Section, guided the spill towards the coast, where it was quickly controlled. An inspection was carried out the following day to ensure that no harmful substances remained in the area.

24 September 1998 - San Francisco, USA

M tanker Command (37,949gt, built 1981) while in anchorage in San Francisco Bay developed a crack in her hull at approximately 1500, 24 September, which resulted in an oil spill. The extent of the spill is not known, however, the spill was contained with booms late afternoon same day. The spill occurred while bunkering in San Francisco Bay. Pollution response teams immediately „responded and pollution cleaned up. Spill estimated at "about ten gallons." Investigation under way.

28 September 1998 - A US Coast Guard spokesman says the clean up of an oil spill near the entrance to the San Francisco Bay is nearing an end, enabling investigators to focus on finding the source of the spill. More than 150 contract clean up workers have removed about 9,200 pounds of tar balls from a 15m stretch of beach between Pillar Point and Pescadeto and combed the area today for small tar balls. Only three pounds of the mixture of oil, sand and seaweed were collected from the shoreline today. Two Coast Guard recovery vessels equipped with vacuum booms skimmed 1,262 gallons of oil from the waters of Half Moon Bay until the oil pockets dispersed too much to be recovered. State wildlife officials recovered 70 live oiled birds and 89 dead ones, including at least two endangered brown pelicans. The live birds are being cleaned and treated at a wildlife veterinary care facility in Santa Cruz. A small team of Coast Guard, state fish and game, and contract clean up personnel will remain at Half Moon Bay to do a final inspection of the beaches after tomorrow's high tide. Preliminary tests on oil from the spill ruled out Alaska North Slope crude, which accounts for most of the oil shipped through the Bay area. State Department of Fish and Game officials say the spill is probably crude oil and could be bunker oil, which is used to power ships. Coast Guard Petty Officer Marshall Berman said investigators will now review logs to determine which ships travelled the area where the ten-mile-long spill was discovered last Monday by a patrol helicopter. They will then obtain samples of each suspect ship's oil to match with samples from the slick.

8 October 1998 - The oil spill off California's coast last week, which littered beaches south of San Francisco with tar balls and dead birds, has been traced to m tanker Command (37,949gt, built 1981), Coast Guard officials said today. Officials said Coast Guard teams boarded Command, about 200 miles (320km) west of Guatemala, and found a ruptured fuel tank that they determined to be the spill's source. The samples have all been confirmed as a match, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Gene Maestas. The US Attorney's Office in San Francisco, in conjunction with the State Department in Washington, DC, will seek to press civil and possibly criminal charges, he said. The crew and vessel are wanted back in the USA, to conduct further investigation, Maestas said. Command was in San Francisco Bay last month and leaked a small amount of oil into the water from a cracked fuel tank. She made repairs and left the area on 26 September. One day later, a 15-mile (24km) long oil slick was spotted floating some 15 miles (24km) outside the Golden Gate Bridge. The spill dissipated as it drifted southward, but „significant amounts of oil still washed ashore on the beaches of San Mateo County south of San Francisco. Coast Guard officials said they recovered some 13,000 gallons of oil from the water, 9,200 pounds (4,140kg) of tar balls and oil residue from the beach and the bodies of 96 birds killed by the oil.

15 October 1998 - Liberia is expected to complete a report this week criticising the US Coast Guard over its response to an alleged spill by m tanker Command, operated by the Pegasus group. The Coast Guard maintains the Command is the "prime suspect" in a spill in the San Francisco Bay area at the end of last month. More than a dozen US government officials including FBI agents and justice Department representatives have kept close watch on the vessel this week as she has undergone repairs in Panama. Liberian officials have concluded that the US has got the wrong vessel. "It has not been conclusively shown that the vessel did this" Gerald Cooper, head of Liberia's permanent mission to the International Maritime Organisation said. It is understood that the Liberians have accounted for "every drop" of oil on board, conflicting with the initial Coast Guard measurements. Suspicion initially fell on the Command when the Coast Guard matched the oil with a minor bunker leak a few days earlier from the tanker when moored in San Francisco Bay. Said to be less than a barrel in quantity, that leak came from a small fuel tank crack reportedly caused by a brush with a lug at her previous port of call and was easily cleaned up before the vessel departed for Balboa to carry out permanent repair.

3 December 1998 - The owners and crew of m tanker Command were indicted on felony charges in connection with an oil spill in September that killed and injured hundreds of birds and fish, federal prosecutors said yesterday. The US Attorney for the Northern District of California and the Justice Department announced that a grand jury had returned a three-count indictment against Pearl Shipping Corporation, the Liberian company that owns the vessel. Also charged in the indictment were ANAX International Agencies, Inc., a Greek company that manages the vessel, and her captain and chief engineer. The indictment alleges that the ship's crew knowingly discharged thousands of gallons of bunker fuel oil into the Pacific Ocean on 26 September as the vessel headed south on a voyage from San Francisco. One day later, a 15-mile long oil slick was spotted and beaches south of San Francisco became littered with tar balls and dead birds. Coast Guard teams later boarded the tanker about 200 miles west of Guatemala, and found a ruptured fuel tank that they determined to be the spill's source. But lawyers for the ship's owner and crew said their clients were innocent and accused prosecutors of rushing to judgement. "Based on our own exhaustive investigation, the only logical conclusion to be reached is that the m tanker Command is innocent," said Matthew Vafidis, an attorney representing Pearl Shipping. "It did not spill fuel off the Half Moon Bay coast-line. We will defend ourselves vigorously."

4 December 1998 - Northern California's new district attorney has announced criminal charges against the owner, operator and two crewmen of m tanker Command, which came under suspicion for a bunker fuel spill off San Francisco at the end of September. Robert Mueller promised that a three-count Grand Jury indictment he won against the four defendants on Wednesday (2 December) marks a tougher approach by his office to polluters. The indictment alleges that Pearl Shipping Corporation of Liberia and Greece's Anax International Agencies, as the Command's owner and manager respectively, together with her master and chief engineer, conspired to violate US Clean Water Act. It also alleged that the defendants knowingly dumped in excess of 50,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil and thereafter failed to report the discharge of what is defined as "a harmful quantity of oil." According to prosecutors, arrest warrants will be issued for the master and chief engineer who are said to still be on board the vessel somewhere in the Pacific.

21 September 1998 - Block Island, USA

A crack in her hull repaired, m tanker Mare Princess (31,887gt, built 1978) that leaked 2,000 gallons of oil has left the seas off Block Island, bound for Virginia, according to the Coast Guard. Mare Princess leaked about 2,000 gallons of oil after leaving Sweden on 6 September, said Coast Guard Lt Cmdr Michael Scanlon of the Marine Safety Office in Providence. The leak was discovered Tuesday (15 September), when the vessel was 200 miles from shore, Scanlon said. The crew pumped as much oil as possible out of the defective tank, then stopped heating it, allowing the oil to thicken. Those measures stopped the leak, Scanlon said. But regional officials remained wary. The Coast Guard wanted the vessel to stay away from the port of Boston, while the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management requested that she be kept out of Rhode Island waters. "For the safety of the port of Boston and the coast of Massachusetts, we wanted to stabilise the situation" before allowing her to come in, said Coast Guard Lt Paul King on Thursday (17 September). After a Coast Guard helicopter and aircraft flew over the vessel and made sure she was not trailing an oil slick, she was allowed to anchor five nautical miles southeast of Block Island on Tuesday afternoon. That evening, a dive team found a two-inch hairline crack in the port side of the vessel's hull. They repaired it with epoxy. Scanlon verified the repairs by watching underwater video-tape of them. The vessel's cargo, originally destined for Cape Cod, was resold while in transit. She left early Saturday for Maryland, via US Customs in Hampton Roads, VA, according to Coast Guard Ensign Keith Donohue.

17 September 1998 - Sao Paulo, Brazil

A spill of Arabian crude, estimated at nearly 4,000 gallons (13.5 tonnes), from leaking Petrobras ore/oil mv Maruim polluted 35 beaches near Santos, Sao Paulo, according to Iris Regina Fernandes Poffo, a biologist for CETESB, the regional environmental agency for Sao Paulo state. Someone discovered Maruim leaking around midnight on 20 August as she prepared to unload at a Petrobras terminal at Sao Sebastao, Poffo reports. Divers later found a 2.4cm hole in one of her tanks, she says. The vessel continued to leak as Petrobras had her towed offshore, she reports. Oil affected the city of Ilhabela most severely, polluting 17 beaches, some boats, and some mangrove trees within two days of the spill, Poffo says. On the third day, a storm re-floated some of the oil, which currents carried onto another 20 beaches over the next ten days, she says. On 31 beaches, the oil stranded as tar balls, causing little environmental damage, Poffo reports, adding that Petrobras recovered about 3,000 gallons (about 10 tonnes) of oil from the sea and 45 cubic metres of oily sand and debris from the shore. The spill oiled the nets of some fishers, whom Petrobras paid immediately, she says. CETESB has detected no injury to fish or birds, Poffo says. Marine biologists from CETESB and Rio de Janeiro Technical University are monitoring the behaviour of marine life on rocks and shores in the wake of the oiling, she adds.

15 September 1998 - Pittsburgh, USA

Tank barge MRT 15 (782gt, built 1972), pierced by an unknown object, spilled between 2,000 to 3,100 gallons (seven to 10.5 tonnes) of No. 2 diesel fuel into the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 15 September, according to the US Coast Guard. After discovering the leak around noon, local time, the captain of the tug towing MRT 15 deliberately grounded the barge into a mud bank to stop the flow of oil, said Ted Ferring, chief of port operations for the USCG Marine Safety office, Pittsburgh. Oil covered the river "pretty much bank to bank" for more than 10km, but largely evaporated by the end of the day, Ferring said. Weavertown Environmental Group of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania surrounded the barge with a boom and reports recovering as much as 1,500 gallons (five tonnes), Ferring said, adding that the cause of the spill is under investigation.

22 September 1998 - Tank barge MRT 15 was removed from beaching position, on 16 September, 12 hours after grounding, and taken to barge cleaning quay at East Liverpool, Ohio. Barge is being cleaned and will be hauled out for repairs later this week. Divers reported a triangular hole of about nine inches in No. 1 starboard tank. All oil has been collected, evaporated or dissipated over nearby weir.

5 October 1998 - Stewart Islands, New Zealand

Refrigerated m stern trawler Dong Won No. 529 (385gt, built 1989), while on way to fishing grounds with 380 tonnes of gas-oil, grounded in lat. 47.07S, long. 168 13E, at 13.45, UTC, 5 October. Crew of 39 rescued. Joint Venture Fishing Co. have arranged two tugs from Bluff to attempt refloat the vessel at high water. Over-flying aircraft notice a smear of oil.

6 October 1998 - M stern trawler Dong Won No. 529 is still on the rocks and attempts to refloat are to continue on 7 October. Vessel is presently high on the rocks and, after 7 October, the high tides will be falling. High southerly winds are forecast within the next 30 hours.

8 October 1998 - New Zealand's marine safety administration called in air force „support to deploy emergency oil spill response equipment after a grounded South Korean trawler Dong Won No. 529 unexpectedly sank this afternoon. The vessel ran aground near New Zealand's southernmost Stewart Island on Tuesday (6 October) and its 41 crew were rescued without incident. "There is evidence of additional oil leaking from the vessel," the Maritime Safety Authority (MSA) said in a statement issued shortly after the trawler's unexpected sinking at about 17.30 (04.30, UTC). Safety officials estimated the ship probably still had about 400 tonnes of diesel fuel oil on board. A small amount of fuel had spilled when the trawler first grounded but it later dispersed. The bulk remained in its fuel tanks. The MSA said the weather in the area was fair with low seas and winds. While the potential volume of oil which could spill was not large in comparison with major oil tanker disasters, officials said the area had great environmental significance and measures had to be taken quickly. The MSA said it had requested an Air Force Hercules to convey equipment for a response team gathering in the South Island port of Invercargill. The MSA's director Russell Kilvington said measures had already been taken by local councils to minimise the risks to penguins, mutton birds and the coast.

9 October 1998 - "Significant" amounts of diesel oil were leaking from trawler Dong Won No. 529, threatening endangered wildlife on a remote coastline of New Zealand, the Maritime Safety Authority said today. The vessel sank unexpectedly last night, catching out the MSA which had thought the vessel was stuck fast after she ran aground near the east cape of Stewart Island on Tuesday (6 October). The MSA rushed oil dispersants to the scene, at tip of New Zealand's southernmost island, and divers to try to plug holes in the vessel, which had up to 400 tonnes of diesel fuel on board. "This is a serious situation and there is no disguising that it is a major threat to the local environment," said MSA director Russell Kilvington. Helicopter observers described the slick immediately after the sinking as six to eight km long, he said. Conservation Minister Nick Smith warned of a potential environmental disaster for the island's spring breeding season. Among wildlife at risk was the sole habitat of a rare sub-species of dotterel, along with penguins, mutton birds and crayfish which feed in the area. The MSA said it was working with wildlife experts and Department of Conservation staff to organise clean-up teams for oiled wildlife.

10 October 1998 - New Zealand rescue officials intensified efforts today to contain an 18km oil slick threatening endangered wildlife on the country's southern coast, the Maritime Safety Authority said. Penguins and rare sea birds are most at risk from the slick, formed from diesel oil leaking out of trawler Dong Won No. 529, which sank two days after running aground near New Zealand's southernmost inhabited island on Tuesday (29 September). The slick had been hailed from reaching the birds' feeding sites, officials said. "Absorbent booms are being put in place to mop up existing oil and minimise further flow," national on-scene commander Ian Niblock said. Niblock said the area had been declared a no-go zone because of the risk to fisherman from the oil dispersant used. A surveillance flight is being scheduled to gauge the size of the slick and assess any environmental damage, and specialist volunteers from all over the country are heading for the site. Joint sea and air dispersant operations would continue until dusk and might resume at first light tomorrow, Niblock added.

11 October 1998 - Gale force winds today thwarted attempts to break up an oil slick on New Zealand's southern coast but rough seas could help disperse the fuel remaining in sunken trawler Dong Won No. 529. Penguins and rare sea birds are most at risk from the slick, caused by diesel oil leaking from the vessel. Ian Niblock, in charge of clean-up efforts, said the gales began just as crews started to bring the spill under control. "Any light sheens that are left out there from the diesel oil will be broken up by the wind without a doubt," he said. Contingency plans were in place should the vessel break up and spew more oil, Niblock added. The trawler was carrying 400 tonnes of marine diesel and 1.6 tonnes of lubrication oil. "Although the majority of the oil has now leaked from the vessel, it may take some time for birds to be affected," Niblock said. "Birds that may have ingested oil or have coated feathers could take a few days to show the effects and then to be found." The Maritime Safety Authority said a reconnaissance aircraft would comb the area early tomorrow, adding that there were no plans to scale down the operation.

The Dong Won Fishing Company has offered compensation to fishermen claiming more than $20 million in damages for the Stewart Island oil spill from trawler Dong Won No. 529. The compensation offer was made after meetings between Sanford and local fishermen, the Southland Regional Council, and Invercargill Mayor-elect Tim Shadbolt yesterday. A lawyer representing some of the fishermen said it was too early to say exactly how much money would be sought, "but certainly, something in excess of $20 million". There could be claims for loss of enjoyment of the area. Liability for the spill had not been established, but claims could be laid against the Dong Won fishing company or Sanford, which were in a joint venture, he said. Marine Safety Authority national on-scene commander Ian Niblock said the exclusion zone around the Dong Won No. 529 had been reduced from ten nautical miles to half a nautical mile. Light oil was still leaking from the vessel, but that it was drifting away from the coast. There were only a few thin spots of oil from the main oil slick which had been broken up by rough seas, wind, and rain over the weekend.

18 October 1998 - A press report, dated Wellington, 17 October, states: The Maritime Safety Authority has refused to comment on a report that crew of m stern trawler Dong Won No. 529 were drinking the night she grounded. Riverton fisherman Chris Musgrave said he smelt alcohol on the breath of some of the crew when they were being rescued, particularly the master and some senior officers. "They were very slow going down the ladder, and I had to help each one down the ladder, and they had a definite smell of alcohol on their breath when I pulled them on to the life-raft," he said on One Network News last night, "it was really strong." The 39 crew were rescued five hours after the vessel grounded on Breaksea Island, off the east coast of Stewart Island, on 6 October. Mr Musgrave said he did not know if the crew drank the alcohol before the vessel ran aground, or after. MSA director Russell Kilvington said last night he could not comment as an inquiry was still being carried out. Senior crew members who were responsible for operations and maintenance had been interviewed by the MSA before they had returned to Korea, he said. Ted Cully, spokesman for Timaru company Sanfords which chartered the vessel, also would not comment. "MSA are carrying out their investigations on why the accident happened and we believe it's appropriate to wait until they come out with the result of that investigation." Meanwhile, searches for wildlife affected by the sinking will continue over the weekend, although on a smaller scale. No birds or seals have so far been identified as being affected by the oil from Dong Won No. 529. Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Fiona Cassidy said seal and penguin colonies had been checked yesterday. A surveillance flight over the area of the vessel revealed a small rainbow sheen of oil leaking from the vessel. It is approximately 500m long and heading out to sea. The sheen was being broken up naturally by the weather and sea conditions, Ms Cassidy said.

20 October 1998 - A Press report, dated Wellington, 19 October, states: Searches for wildlife affected by oil leaking from the sunken m stern trawler Dong Won No. 529 have been called off. Wildlife specialists have been searching the area for signs that the oil leaking from the vessel had affected seal and penguin colonies. Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Fiona Cassidy said in a statement yesterday that no oiled sea birds or seals had been found. "Wildlife recovery operations are now being scaled back and no further searches will be undertaken unless the need arises," she said. The oil response team continued to monitor the small rainbow sheen leaking from the vessel. About 400m long, the sheen continued to head out to sea and was being naturally dispersed by the tide. Divers also continued to remove netting and equipment from the vessel over the weekend and would do so again today.

12 November 1998 - Fourteen claims for compensation from fishermen totalling $22 million as a result of the oil spillage from the sunken m stern trawler Dong Won No. 529 have been dropped. Dunedin lawyer Michael Guest, who was handling the claims, said they had been withdrawn because there was little evidence of damage. Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt, who initially approached Mr Guest on behalf of the fishermen, said they had prepared for the worst case scenario. "As it happened, it didn't turn out to be much of a catastrophe at all," Mr Shadbolt said. A spokesman for the owners of the Dong Won No. 529 said divers were still working on the sunken vessel, removing nets and other hazardous debris. An international salvage expert was due in the country soon to remove hydrocarbons. Discussions would then be held with the Maritime Safety Authority and the Southland Regional Council before a decision was made on whether to salvage the wreck, he said.

4 October 1998 - Anchorage, Alaska

Lingering oil from the 1989 grounding of m tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound will kill or stunt Alaskan pink salmon for generations to come, government scientists said. "Those buried oil pockets are sort of like land mines," ready and able to release poison, said Jeffrey Short, a scientist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. At a conference in Anchorage yesterday, Short and other NMFS researchers presented their findings, which were promptly rejected as flawed by scientists hired by Exxon. Federal researchers said despite a massive clean-up of the 10.1-million-gallon oil spill, the salmon was still in jeopardy and would remain so into the twenty-first century. They said long-lasting hydrocarbon components of the crude oil would cause chronic harm to successive salmon generations. NMFS scientist Ron Heintz said laboratory tests, which simulated the stream environments in Prince William Sound, showed oil pollution in concentrations as low as one part per billion stunted pink salmon growth and caused other chronic problems. Scientists hired by Exxon disputed the government findings. They insisted that there were few or no adverse effects to salmon from the 1989 disaster. Ernest Brannon, a University of Idaho scientist hired by the oil company, charged that the government scientists used poor techniques to collect salmon eggs in their research. Brannon said the government researchers, not Exxon oil, killed the eggs by collecting them too soon after they were spawned. "This is not oil. This is physical abuse," Brannon said. "Regardless of how many streams they sampled, the cause of mortality was shock, not oil." The NMFS scientists conducted their studies in co-operation with biologists for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The work was done for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, the joint federal-state panel which administers the $900 million that Exxon has pledged to pay over ten years to settle government civil claims over the 1989 disaster. Previous theories presented to the council suggested that the spilled oil caused genetic defects in salmon, which were passed on to subsequent generations, but the new studies, Short said, show instead lingering oil itself is harming succeeding generations of fish. He said nearly a decade after the spill, small pools of weathered oil remain on stream banks, which release hydrocarbons as tides flush through them. While the Prince William Sound is well on its way to recovery, "it's clearly not as clean as it was in 1988," Short said. The concentration of one part per billion is one-tenth the amount of oil contamination allowed under current Alaska water-quality standards, he said. Heintz and Short said their findings may be used as justification for tightening state water-quality standards, already amongst the nation's strictest.

5 October 1998 - Antigua and Barbuda

M container vessel Zim Piraeus, which was detained at Colombo port following collision with m general cargo/container vessel Leerort, has been released after the vessel's principals in Germany gave a US$10 million security guarantee to the port authority. Port authority chairman Admiral Mohan Samarasekera said the guarantee, given in the form of a bank guarantee, would cover not only losses due to perished cargo but also the cost of clearing the oil spill, pollution prevention operations, clearing berths and many other incidental expenses. He said investigations carried out so far had cleared the port authority of any fault on its part. Meanwhile, sources said that the investigation, which was now nearing completion, was centred on finding out whether the vessel's master entered the harbour channel with proper authorisation, whether he was within the speed limit and whether the pilot was on board. Another point being investigated is whether the vessel's main engine was in satisfactory condition. Admiral Samarasekera said the port authority had salved 87 of the 287 containers on board Leerort, while on-site inspection had revealed that most of the balance of the cargo had perished in the sea water and was rendered useless. The port authority hired local salvors master divers, who appointed Smit International Singapore (Pvt) Ltd as sub-contractors. M sheer-legs pontoon Smit Cyclone will be brought from Singapore to assist with salvage operations. The operation is expected to be completed in 30 days.

13 October 1998 - Salvage work on m general cargo/container vessel Leerort, sunk at berth in Colombo harbour as a result of collision with m container vessel Zim Piraeus, on 19 September, will be completed by 25 October. The arrival of a 1,500 tonne floating crane from Singapore, to help salve sunken containers, as the vessel is lying in the 15m deep basin at a 50° angle to the horizontal, will speed the work being carried out by Master Divers of Colombo in association with Smit of Singapore. Mohan Samarasekera, chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority said: "Some of the containers which are at the bottom of the basin are positively a navigational hazard at Berth NO.2, Jaya Container Terminal." It would appear that, until the salvage work is „completed, a length of about 150m has been rendered unusable. An inquiry conducted into the accident has revealed that the master of Zim Piraeus has been found guilty of several errors of judgement and of ignoring instructions from both the control lower and the port authority pilot, who had barely got on board at the time of the accident.

22 October 1998 - A report in the 22 October edition of Fairplay states: Work to raise and re-float m general cargo/container vessel Leerort has reached a critical stage. Smit International has brought its m sheer-legs pontoon Smit Cyclone to Colombo to stabilise the vessel during the operation to upright, pressurise and re-float. The vessel will then be patched, the water and bunkers removed and the remaining containers recovered. A total of 94 containers were lost overboard during the incident. Of the five boxes containing hazardous chemicals two were quickly recovered, two located and the fifth was still on board.

13 October 1998 - River Thames, London, UK

M dredger/sand carrier Arco Arun (3,476gt, built 1987), cargo dredged shingle, with ten crew, was holed and taking water in St Clements Reach, River Thames. Vessel called Port of London Authority and Port of London Authority arranged towage but vessel too badly damaged for tow. Crew have been transferred to tug.

14 October 1998 - To prevent m dredger/sand carrier Arco Arun sinking, vessel was pushed aground last night by tugs and is lying hard aground on the South Bank. Due to the list a very small amount of gas oil trickled out through a vent. Vessel has 180 tonnes of gas oil on board. A damage assessment will be carried out later this morning.

About 40 tonnes of diesel oil from starboard bunker tanks was lost overnight and most of the vessel's cargo of shingle has also been lost. Howard Smith towage have been appointed for salvage and the Port of London Authority are coordinating the operation.

Vessel is lying just outside the navigation lanes, with her aft section still buoyant. The incident which led to the holing of the vessel occurred in deeper water towards the northern edge of the river but she was moved by tugs to the shallower South Bank where she was beached. The hole in the starboard fore-peak is 3m in length and 30cm wide.

The vessel started to sink almost immediately after hitting an unidentified object while inward bound at St Clements Reach.

Howard Smith Salvage is making preparations to raise the vessel with a view to moving her to a more suitable location where temporary repairs can be made.

15 October 1998 - M dredger/sand carrier Arco Arun capsized and sank at about 08.30, today, after the flooding could not be „contained. Vessel is boomed off and there is no pollution as salvors successfully blanked off her bunker tank and automatic fuel shut-offs were closed. Understood vessel will still have to be removed from her current position.

Howard Smith Salvage said they believed internal watertight doors gave way, allowing further flooding of the hull which left the vessel with a 95° list. But four anchors held the vessel in her overnight position in spite of the tidal surge. Howard Smith is now considering changes to its salvage plans to remove the vessel but she is not obstructing shipping and is beached on the south side of the river. Absorbent booms have been laid within the previously-deployed rubber booms to contain fuel leaks. Oil spill recovery vessels remain on site.

30 November 1998 - Arco Arun now salved.

13 October 1998 - Newhaven, UK

Fv Catrina, NN194 (20gt, built 1991), with estimated fuel load 5000l diesel fuel on board, was approaching Newhaven Harbour when she was observed, by Westpier Signal Station, to suddenly capsize to starboard and sink, about one mile due south of Newhaven Breakwater. Fv Antony also saw the sinking, proceeded and rescued the two crew. Weather in area, south-south-west force 5 (fresh breeze), sea moderate. At 1311, UTC, pollution, diesel fuel oil, observed by fv Sally Ann in lat. 50 45.71N, long. 00 03.89E, this position is approximately eight cables on a bearing of 160° true from Newhaven Breakwater light. The oil is being broken up by the choppy sea conditions, but continues to appear on the surface of the water, leaking from the sunken vessel. The Newhaven Harbour Authority are monitoring the situation.

25 October 1998 - River Rhine, Germany

German tanker Romberg spilled several tonnes of petrol into the River Rhine in western Germany after colliding with Dutch vessel Gilla today, German river police said. River police in the Rhine-side town of St Goar said the collision had taken place shortly after 0500, UTC, near the town of Bad Salzig and a 4m-long crack had appeared in Romberg some 60cm below the water level. A stretch of the river and its banks were sealed off. "It is not clear when the river can be opened again. It is also not clear exactly how much petrol leaked into the water," the St Goar water police said in a statement. "It is possible a maximum of 60 tonnes of petrol leaked out so a water services alarm had to be raised," they said. Police said the damaged vessel was carrying 1,750 tonnes of petrol. Enough petrol leaked out to create a danger that it might explode. The nearby river banks were sealed off briefly until firefighters said they were safe again. A stretch of the Rhine between Bingen and Braubach was barred to traffic, causing major shipping delays. It will be reopened once police and rescue workers have stemmed the leak and the remaining petrol has been pumped into another tanker, police said.

26 October 1998 - Allegedly German vessel Romberg crashed into Netherlands vessel Gilia due to breakdown of the entire electrical system. Product, said to be gasoline, leaking out of Romberg and flowing into Rhine.

29 October 1998 - Bunngo Waterway, Japan

Japan's Maritime Safety Agency called in salvage crews to pump fuel from mv Chun 11, which leaked oil and then sank on 17 October in the Bunngo waterway, between Shikoku and Kyushu islands. MSA estimates Chun 11 spilled 1,900 gallons (6.2 tonnes) of fuel after she ran aground on 15 October. The vessel had 27,500 gallons (93 tonnes) of heavy fuel on board when rough seas broke her hull and she sank two days later. It is unclear whether the vessel is continuing to leak oil. Lightering was under way on 23 October. Local fishing vessels had mobilised to combat the spill and local workers collected some oil from the shoreline. No environmental damage reported. Containment booms were laid, but oil fouled the western part of Sukurno Bay, Kyodo News Agency reported. Kyodo also said that, on 23 October, Maritime Safety Agency charges the second mate of Chun 11 with negligence, saying he was at the helm when the vessel struck a reef.

29 October 1998 - Mississippi River, USA

An explosion on board m tanker Champion Trader killed a crewman and burst two tanks on 29 October spilling 3,700 gallons (12.5 tonnes) of fuel oil and 135,000 gallons (460 tonnes) of palm oil into the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River below Venice, Louisiana, according to the US Coast Guard. Three other members of the Philippines crew and the US pilot were injured, none of them seriously, says Laticia Argenti, assistant chief of investigations for the USCG Marine Safety Office in New Orleans. The blast left a hole 15m by 8m in the vessel's port side and shattered the bridge, the USCG reports. Champion Trader was carrying 9.3 million gallons (31,600 tonnes) of vegetable oil to Delta Commodities in New Orleans according to the USCG. Following an extensive survey, salvors re-floated the tanker on 2 November, and she headed upriver under tug escort to discharge her remaining cargo, says Daniel Whiting, chief of port operations for MSO New Orleans. Crew members told USCG investigators that welding was under way on the port deck above a fuel tank when the explosion occurred about 15.30, local time, 29 October, Argenti reports. The USCG reports no sign of stressed wildlife, and says that the cleanup has been simple but laborious, involving 38 workers from Morris Environmental and Garner Environmental. A fuel oil slick from the tanker drifted into the Gulf of Mexico and vanished, Argenti says. The palm oil solidified, collecting around the intentionally grounded tanker, on shoreline 3km downstream, and in Dixon Marsh, she says. In the marsh, organic debris known locally as "coffee grounds" quickly absorbed the palm oil so that deposits piled up along creek banks, within reach of cleaners working from 17 small boats, Whiting says. Workers collected the dark waxy blobs with dip nets, Argenti reports. By 2 November, they had recovered 6,100 gallons (20 tonnes) of palm oil and 1,200 gallons (4 tonnes) of bunker fuel, she says.

12 November 1998 - Cleanup costs for the in tanker Champion Trader palm oil and fuel spill apparently will run about $600,000, according to Tim Dickensheets of SMQI Services, which provided OPA 90 qualified individual services for the incident. Garner Environmental was the response contractor, and Morris Environmental provided operational support for the response at the mouth of the Mississippi River, he says.

12 November 1998 - Japan

Japan has been plunged into a cancer scare after researchers discovered a massive concentration of carcinogens in fuel oil spilled during the disaster last year involving m tanker Nakhodka. Scientists in the UK said yesterday that the heavy amount of benzopyrene discovered by the academics would probably result in a long-term impact on the marine environment. Researchers from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, led by assistant professor Hideshige Takada, detected the chemical in the distilled heavy oil that leaked from the tanker in January 1997. The team found 145 micrograms of benzopyrene per gram of oil, which is 20 times the quantity usually found in distilled heavy oil. Benzopyrene is a hydrocarbon found in both coal tar and cigarette smoke, thought to be hazardous to the endocrine glands. Nakhodka is thought to have spilled two-thirds of her cargo of 19,000 tonnes of medium fuel oil after breaking in two during a storm.

9 November 1998 - North Sea, Germany

Hundreds of birds on Germany's northern coast have been coated with oil from the wrecked mv Pallas, German environment officials said today. The vessel caught fire in rough weather in the North Sea two weeks ago. One crew member died and another was severely injured in the blaze. The crew were evacuated and the vessel came to rest on one of Germany's North Friesian islands. A spokeswoman for the environment ministry in the state of Schleswig-Holstein said at least 1,500 birds, mainly ducks, had been affected by the oil slick and that 135 had died. It was not clear how many birds would survive. About 10 to 15 tonnes of oil have already leaked from the damaged vessel, the ministry said. The spokeswoman said four vessels were trying to remove the oil around the Pallas and that barriers had been erected around the wreck to prevent the leakage seeping further. The extent of the damage was not clear and the vessel was still leaking, she said. A Dutch freighter has been commissioned to recover the Pallas, but it was not clear when this would start, she said. The Pallas was carrying a cargo of cut roundwood.

11 November 1998 - Five firefighters were today airlifted onto blazing mv Pallas off the north German coast. Pallas caught fire in the North Sea two weeks ago and beached on one of Germany's North Friesian islands. The hull of the vessel is still spouting smoke. Local authorities said another oil slick from the wreck had been sighted overnight heading southwest into the open sea. It was unclear whether a change in ocean currents could turn the oil slick back towards the islands. Rescue workers have reported thousands of dead and dying birds on sand banks off the coast, while local officials said 200 cubic metres of contaminated sand had already been gathered on the popular holiday islands of Sylt, Foehr and Amrum.

13 November 1998 - Efforts to salve mv Pallas off Germany's northern coast have failed, raising strong criticism of the German authorities from environmental groups. About 20 tonnes of fuel oil have so far leaked into the North Sea since the vessel caught fire 25 October. A total of nine vessels have been trying to remove the remaining 600 tonnes of fuel oil and 150m3 of diesel, said a spokeswoman for the environmental ministry in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. In order to prevent a major environmental catastrophe, barriers had been placed around the vessel to prevent further leakage. No further oil spill has been reported, and none of the spilled oil has reached land.

16 November 1998 - The fire on board mv Pallas is still burning and fire-fighting operations are continuing. Wijsmuller platform Barbara is due 17 November to begin removing oil from vessel.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) called today for a criminal investigation into an oil spill from mv Pallas that killed thousands of sea birds off the German coast. Oil has been leaking from Pallas since it caught fire in the North Sea three weeks ago and came to rest on one of Germany's North Fresian islands. The German branch of the WWF international lobby group said in a statement it had asked prosecutors in the northern port of Hamburg to examine whether to bring a criminal case over the incident. Local officials say it was one of the region's worst environmental disasters in living memory. WWF said more than 15,000 sea birds, mainly ducks, had been smeared with oil and more than 2,000 had already died. The group said in a statement that an independent legal authority must decide if "neglect or penny-pinching" were to blame for the spill. Environmental groups have blamed German authorities for responding to the disaster too slowly.

18 November 1998 - Small fires are still burning in some compartments of the vessel and it is hoped same will be extinguished this morning. Platform Barbara has now arrived on scene and will be in position during the early afternoon, when it is hoped to „commence oil removal. There was some minor oil spillage during the night and some oil remains in the water. Beaches are still free of pollution.

23 November 1998 - The fire on mv Pallas was extinguished on Friday (20 November), according to local officials. But the controversy the accident has sparked continues among German politicians, shipowners and environmentalist groups. About 60 tonnes of oil have leaked into the North Sea, killing 6,800 birds and coating a further 20,000. The cause of the fire and the reasons for the subsequently serious environmental damage are difficult to establish. Environmentalist groups are blaming maritime politics, politicians are pointing their finger at the shipowner and unions have stressed the need for better controls regarding foreign crew. Bogazzi spokesman Alberto Rolla said: "According to the international convention on maritime law from 1976 regarding the limitation of liability for maritime claims, which is based on the tonnage of the vessel, we will not pay more than DM3.3 million ($2.02 million)," he said. The Pallas owners are members of the Brussels-based P&I Club Ocean Marine Mutual. Just how high the final bill will be is unknown. Markus Stiegler from the Schleswig-Holstein state environmental ministry in Kiel estimates that it will come to a "two-digit million mark figure". "When you consider that the damage also involves the oil slick, the salvage operation and so on, it is difficult to say how much the loss will be," Claas W. Brons, the German loss adjuster dealing with the case, said. But it was highly likely that Ocean Marine would not pay more than the maximum DM3.3 million, he added. The way things look now, every Deutschemark above that limit will be equally covered by the German federal government and coastal states.

24 November 1998 - Dutch salvors began pumping fuel, on 19 November, from the wrecked and burning mv Pallas, which has been continually leaking oil off the north-west German coast since 6 November. Officials are determined to empty the vessel before the North Sea breaks her apart. Crews began lightering while one cargo hold remained ablaze, German authorities reported. Not until 22 November did Wijsmuller Marine Services declare that its crews and a German fireboat had finally extinguished the fire. The leak had stopped by 23 November, although some sheen leeched from the vessel's oiled side. The sea tore up an oil containment boom, placed around the vessel, and crew removed it on 23 November. Swells have repeatedly torn containment booms laid around the vessel. By 23 November, officials reported no widening of the cracks that first opened more than two weeks ago and shore cleaning teams were able to keep up with the occasional oiling. Authorities estimate that Pallas has leaked nearly 15,000 gallons (50 tonnes) of fuel. The vessel's owners abandoned the salvage effort on 8 November and the Italian managers have disavowed all responsibility for the vessel. On 22 November, fire- fighters used a crane on board oil rig Barbara to tear away a hatch cover, then pour nearly 8,000 gallons of water per hour into the blazing No. 4 hold, according to the Schleswig-Holstein environment ministry. At the same time, lightering crews emptied the ruptures tanks into the rig. By noon 23 November, they had extracted 12,700 gallons (43 tonnes) of oil and 8,700 gallons of oil mixed with water. How long the lightering will continue is unknown.

7 December 1998 - Mv Pallas is still aground. Salvors from Wijsmuller Marine Services have sunk pilings into the beach at Amrum, Schleswig-Holstein, to secure the wrecked mv Pallas for a lightering effort that may last weeks. Wadden Sea National Park reports that at least 11,000 birds have succumbed to oil from the wreck. Some wildlife groups claim higher figures, adding that the appearance of open-ocean birds among the dead suggests widespread pollution. In two weeks, crews have removed about a third of the vessel's fuel, but perhaps 130,000 gallons (440 tonnes) of intermediate fuel oil and diesel remain on board the vessel, according to the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Environment, Nature, and Forests. Sub-freezing temperatures have thickened the fuel oil, and salvors have not devised means to melt it, says Yvonne E.A. van den Berg, a spokeswoman for Wijsmuller. Worse, crews discovered on 28 November that diesel from two tanks spilled into at least one cargo hold, contaminating burned-out cargo and complicating lightering, van den Berg said. Cargo blocks access to fuel tanks in three holds, and crews are removing it with a crane on board platform Barbara, planted next to the vessel, she adds. A storm could still break up the vessel, according to Claus Schroh, head of the German Federal Marine Pollution Control Unit. By 2 December, salvors had removed 38,573 gallons (131 tonnes) of fuel oil and 8,322 gallons (28 tonnes) of diesel, according to state environmental officials. Over flights have occasionally seen unrecoverable sheen streaming out to sea, apparently from machinery spaces in the vessel, says Claudia Sieg, a state environmental spokeswoman. The National Park of the Wadden Sea reports 11,000 birds dead of oiling and another 9,000 oiled but still alive, according to Rudiger Wohler, head of transport for the German conservation group Naturschutzbund Deutschland. Other observers claim to have tallied 25,000 birds dead and seen 50,000 oiled, says Sarah Scarth of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Wildlife centres in Germany and The Netherlands have taken in 700 birds, and about half the birds taken to The Netherlands have died, she adds. About 90 per cent of the oiled birds are ducks. Oil also may have contaminated flocks far at sea, because dead oiled gannets and other pelagic birds washed up at Amrum on 28 November, says Robert Oates, marine policy officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK.

17 November 1998 - Honolulu, Hawaii

During loading operations at Barge Harbour, Oahu, lank barge Hoto Kai (1,770gt, built 1957) official No. 274787, leased by Tow Boat Services and Management, Inc. and operated by Tesoro Hawaii, was found to be leaking black oil presumably from a hole in the skin. It was reported that the leak was discovered while personnel were adjusting the boom at about 23.10, HST, 16 November. A preliminary report indicated that approximately 30 barrels of black oil were spilled and have been contained. Personnel are currently working to discharge product in order to gain access to the holed area.

14 November 1998 - Beijing, China

Chinese authorities have contained a diesel oil slick in the South China Sea following a collision between two tankers, a marine safety official said today. "We've surrounded the slick with an apron, and have controlled the situation," a Guangzhou Marine Safety „Bureau official said in a telephone interview. The accident occurred yesterday morning at the mouth of the Pearl River in southern Guangdong province when a tanker belonging to Shanghai Oil Tank Company manoeuvred to avoid an oncoming vessel and collided with the stern of a second tanker, state media said. The struck vessel, m oil/vegetable oil tanker Jin You 6 (2,798gt, built 1978) began spewing diesel from two punctured chambers, each with an oil capacity of 1,000 tonnes, the China Daily said. The accident took place roughly 70km north-west of Hong Kong. Guangdong television carried images of copper-coloured diesel pouring into the water from the hull of the vessel, which was travelling to Guangzhou from Dalian city. The oil stretched into a slick 10km long and 50m wide, diverting shipping and ruining fishing grounds, the article said. "The fish I caught stink because of the oil. No-one will want them," the article quoted one fisherman as saying from his boat, marooned in the middle of the slick. The official declined to estimate how much oil had been spilled, saying insurance companies and marine authorities were still investigating. "Up to now, no-one has been hurt," he said. The newspaper quoted Li Weijian, deputy director of the Guangzhou Fishery and Marine Supervision Department, as estimating losses from the spill at $360,000. It was unclear whether he was referring to damage to the fishing industry, or losses to the Tianjin-based firm which owns the oil tanker. The Shanghai-based vessel, m tanker Jian She 51, (7,894gi, built 1995) was carrying 9,900 tonnes of gasoline, but reported no leaks, the safety official said.

6 December 1998 - Bandar Abbas, Iran

Iranian authorities have contained an oil spill which occurred two weeks ago when a tanker (m tanker Tabriz, 39,620gt, built 1980) struck a port jetty, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported today. It quoted Behzad Saeidpour, head of a local Iranian environmental protection agency, as saying the 1,000 barrels leak on 6 December had polluted waters outside Bandar Abbas port but had been prevented from approaching a power plant and a refinery in the area. Saeidpour said the leak occurred after the Iranian tanker, with 60,000 tonnes of crude, struck the jetty, IRNA said.

23 December 1998 - Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

Fv Capt. Justin, 72 feet, official No. GL230, sank in Tampa Bay in lat. 27 34.4N, long. 82 45.5W, at 04.00, this morning. Vessel hit a mooring buoy, lost steering, struck a barge and then sank. The barge was not damaged. The two persons on board Capt. Justin are both safe. Vessel has spilled 6,000 tonnes of diesel. Her owners have contracted a Company to clean-up the spillage.

Though the vessel was carrying about 6,000 gallons of fuel, divers were able to plug up vents and close the fuel lines before most of the fuel could get out, said Tom Boerger, a consultant working with the vessel's owners, Diversified Marine Tech. Crews were able to contain the few gallons of fuel that did leak out. The vessel should be off the bottom and towed to a repair yard within a few days, Boerger said.

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