Tanker Explodes, Sinks 50 miles off Virginia Coast

[WSUCougar]

Yikes...

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Feb. 29) - The Coast Guard continued searching the frigid Atlantic early Sunday for survivors of an explosion that sank a tanker carrying 3.5 million gallons of ethanol. At least three of the 27 crew members died and 18 are still missing.

The 570-foot Bow Mariner, with its 24 Filipino and three Greek crew members, was headed to Houston from New York when it called just after 6 p.m. that there had been an explosion, said Petty Officer Stacey Pardini of the Atlantic area Coast Guard in Portsmouth.

The explosion, about 50 miles east of Chincoteague, Va., came after a fire started on the deck of the ship, said Lt. Chris Shaffer of Ocean City (Md.) Emergency Services.

"When the rescue divers got on the scene the fuel tanker was on fire, sinking and there was people in the water,'' he said.

The Coast Guard responded by sending two helicopters and a search plane from Elizabeth City, N.C., a helicopter from Atlantic City, N.J., and three boats. Fishing boats in the area also assisted in the search and rescue mission.

The survivors were rescued from a life raft within three hours of the accident, Pardini said.

Overnight, the plane and two 87-foot Coast Guard patrol boats kept up the search, though Pardini acknowledged it would be difficult for someone to survive in the 44-degree water temperature.
"We're still in search mode,'' Pardini said. "We still have hope that we will find survivors.''

All the survivors are being treated for hypothermia. They were taken by helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where one was in critical condition, two were in serious condition and three were in good condition, hospital spokeswoman Vicky Gray said.

Two Coast Guard members brought to the hospital as a precaution were in good condition, Gray said. One was a rescue swimmer, the other a flight mechanic for a helicopter.

One of the nine crew members accounted for had been picked up by a commercial fishing boat but died before he could be taken to a hospital, said Coast Guard Senior Chief John Moss.

Another man died at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md., after he was brought there in critical condition, nursing supervisor Betty Turner said.

The third victim was taken to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, Md., spokeswoman Toni Keiser said, along with two rescue divers who were treated and released for minor injuries.
In Norfolk, hospital chaplains helped four of the crew members call their families in Philippines.

The ship is a chemical tanker, built in 1982 and operated by Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises Ltd. in Greece.

It had discharged some of its cargo in New York, said company spokesmanTony Redding. Ceres was sending a technical crew from Greece on Sunday to assist the Coast Guard, he said.

The company released a statement Sunday expressing sorrow for the accident.

It was unknown how much of the ethanol was released into the water.

Redding said Ceres didn't know the cause of the explosion; the Coast Guard said it was not immediately clear what agency would investigate the accident because it happened in international waters.



02/29/04 08:13 EST

[Fritz]

Not saying that the ship was in poor repair, but many of these foreign flags are an accident waiting to happen.

[Noop]

was it Terroist?

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by Noop

was it Terroist?

Nah, the followers of Terro were too busy munching nachos at the local Hooters.

[SnowMan]

Just don't light a match.

[Dutch]

Kerry says it's all Bush's fault.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Kerry says it's all Bush's fault.

Yes, yes, and Bush says it's all the terrorists' fault. How again did saying this add anything to the thread?

SI

[Mr. Wednesday]

No, no, it's all Clinton's fault!

Seriously, though, when I first saw the headline, I was thinking it was oil, which would have been a horrible mess. While I don't guess that much ethanol in a small area is good for the fish that are unfortunate enough to be in the area, at least it should disperse with minimal widespread ecological effect (right?).

[Flame Eater]

Ethanol is a light-weight, volatile liquid that will float on the surface of the water and evaporate fairly quickly. Shouldn't cause any big eco disaster.

And, if the vessel was going from NY to Houston it would have to be in fairly good shape of the CG wouldn't let it sail in U.S. waters/ports.