ATHOS I’ SPILL BLAMED ON ANCHOR

[proud_ionian]

A US Coast Guard investigation has concluded that a lost anchor caused the 264,000-gallon oil spill from the Cyprus-registered tanker ‘Athos I’ on the Delaware River in November 2004, and that no blame for the spill attached to the ship itself, and that no shipping regulations had been breached by the vessel.

The vessel struck the submerged anchor on its way to the Citgo refinery in West Deptford, tearing its hull and causing the spill, the cleanup bill from which has been valued at US$267m, with another US$92m in damages claims expected from industries along the river affected by the spill.

The USCG has been unable to trace the owner of the anchor. USCG commander David Scott said: “Evidence suggests the anchor may have been lodged in the vessel for a brief time, therefore we were not able to determine its precise location before coming in contact with the vessel.”

A survey of the river bottom found that the ship had struck a number of submerged items before hitting the anchor. The USCG has recommended that new laws come into place requiring people to immediately report any lost or discarded objects in a navigable channel or anchorage that could pose a risk to ships.

The ship’s operator, Tsakos Shipping, expects to recover the US$124m it spent on the cleanup operation from the Oil Spill Liability Fund.

source: MGN