Worries Grow As Alaskan Oil Spill Spreads - Search Ends For 6 Missing

[hatrack]

Heavy oil washed ashore in an Alaska wildlife refuge yesterday as huge waves, unrelenting winds and bone-chilling temperatures stymied efforts to keep a smashed-up freighter from spilling more fuel into the Bering Sea.

Heavy oil washed ashore in an Alaska wildlife refuge yesterday as huge waves, unrelenting winds and bone-chilling temperatures stymied efforts to keep a smashed-up freighter from spilling more fuel into the Bering Sea. The 738-foot freighter, the Selendang Ayu, had been headed to China carrying soybeans when its engines failed early Tuesday morning, leaving the vessel adrift. A Coast Guard helicopter plucked the six crew members off the foundering ship Wednesday, but it then crashed amid high seas and heavy winds.

The crew of the helicopter was rescued, but the six men from the ship were not found.

EDIT

Now cleaved in two and resting partly submerged just off Unalaska Island, about 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, the Selendang Ayu is oozing thick, sticky bunker oil that will be difficult to clean up and could harm endangered sea lions as well as sea otters, diving sea ducks, loons and salmon in the area. Officials said there was also concern that birds would eat oil-coated soybeans, now floating in the water near the ship. The spill in the Aleutian Islands is potentially the worst in Alaska since the Exxon Valdez spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil in 1989."

EDIT

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/203406_alaskaspill11.html

[Maestro]

1. I'm disgusted!

I hope the response time is much better than in 1989. And once they are there for the clean-up I hope they have the right equipment.