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Oil tanker runs aground in Mississippi River
2009-09-29
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Singapore-flagged tanker carrying more than 600,000 gallons (2.2 million liters) of crude oil ran aground in the Mississippi River in the early hours of Monday, the US Coast Guard said. "The tank vessel Eagle Tucson was traveling upbound. It was at mile marker three on the lower Mississippi River" in Louisiana when it grounded at around 2:45 am (0745 GMT), Coast Guard spokeswoman Elizabeth Bordelon told AFP. Four tugboats were on the scene to try to shift the grounded tanker, and two more were heading towards the boat to try to help with the effort, Lloyds MIU Casualty Service reported. Lloyds confirmed earlier reports from the US Coast Guard that there are "no signs of oil leaking or water ingress." The vessel was sailing from Puerto Jose in Venezuela to Chalmette, Louisiana, according to Lloyds. The Eagle Tucson is registered to London-based AET Inc. Ltd and sails under the Singapore flag, according to the Equasis website, which posts safety-related information about ships on the Internet. A "lightering" vessel was standing by to offload the ship's cargo and make it lighter if the tugs are unable to budge the stranded tanker, Bordelon said. An investigation is under way to determine why the vessel ran aground.
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