U.S. tugs to aid freighter that leaked fuel

By The Associated Press

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VANCOUVER, B.C. — Tugboats from the United States and Canada were dispatched yesterday to aid a Greek freighter that had been leaking fuel oil in the Pacific 150 miles west of Vancouver Island.

Canadian officials ordered the vessel to stop 100 miles from shore and wait for the tugs, which were expected to reach it by daybreak with experts who can assess and perhaps repair the damage.

It was not immediately known how much fuel was lost by the 783-foot bulk carrier Thrasyvoulos V, said John Millman of the Canadian Coast Guard. Fuel from a punctured tank had been transferred to a secure one and the leaking had stopped, he said.

After the leak was stopped, the 37,000-ton vessel reported "a relatively small hole in the hull a couple of feet above the waterline," the state Department of Ecology said in a memo to environmental groups.

The ship's captain believes the damage may have occurred when the ship refueled at its last port, Millman said.

The ship was empty and there was no danger of it sinking, Millman said. It has a crew of 24 and was bound for Vancouver from Korea.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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