Tug fixes line to adrift tanker

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — After struggling for three days against 30-foot storm swells and winds of more than 50 mph, salvage workers succeeded Friday in attaching a rope to an oil tanker drifting off the coast of Washington that had threatened to come ashore.

The work was made easier because rough seas subsided and winds slackened Friday, when a six-person crew lowered themselves from a helicopter onto the deck of the drifting 906-foot Atigun Pass.

They then threw a line to one of four tugboats helping with the recovery.

That first "messenger line" was reinforced with an 11-inch nylon rope and the tug began pulling the supertanker back out to sea, moving northwest offshore from Long Beach. The tanker was about 28 miles offshore Friday afternoon.

"Without the crew on there, we wouldn’t have been able to do that," said Amy Gaskill, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

The tanker, which is carrying about 20,000 gallons of fuel oil, was being towed from Portland to Shanghai to be carved up for scrap metal. It broke loose about 100 miles from the coast on Tuesday and was blown back toward land by one of the first strong storms of winter.

The tanker was riding high in the water and was pushed quickly along by the storm winds. It had come within 20 miles of shore before the helicopter crew took control of the boat.

The helicopter returned to pick up the crew and take them off the tanker overnight. They planned to return Saturday to continue efforts to replace the rope — considered a fragile and temporary solution — with a stronger steel cable. A similar rope had snapped Wednesday.

Several attempts over the three days by the tugboats to regain control of the vessel failed.

If all attempts to take control of the old tanker had failed, the Coast Guard was considering intentionally sinking it in deep water, Gaskill said. The single-hull tanker, formerly operated by British Petroleum and condemned as unsafe by the Oil Protection Act of 1990, had been docked in Portland’s harbor since 1995, Gaskill said.

Its 20,000 gallons of remaining fuel oil were caked into a tarlike paste onto a tank and could not be pumped out, she said.

The shipping agent, Netherlands-based Smit International, paid for the salvage operation.

On the Net:

Coast Guard: www.uscg.mil

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

The peaks of Mount Pilchuck, left, and Liberty Mountain, right, are covered in snow on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Western Washington’s current winter drought may not last through the season

Even with last week’s snow flurries, there’s no denying this… Continue reading

A view of a homes in Edmonds, Washington on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County to mail property tax statements this month

First half payments are due on April 30.

Ticket and ORCA card kiosks at the Lynnwood Light Rail station on Thursday, April 4, 2024 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Beginning March 1, Community Transit to reduce some fares

Riders eligible for reduced fares will pay $1 for a single ORCA card tap and $36 for a monthly pass.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The amphitheater at Deception Pass during the 2021 concert series. (Photo provided by Deception Pass Park Foundation Facebook page.)
Deception Pass Foundation seeks Adopt-A-Trail volunteers

If you’re looking for a way to get outside and… Continue reading

A pedestrian is struck and killed by vehicle Wednesday in Everett

The pedestrian was a man in his 60s. The collision happened at 5:30 a.m. on Broadway.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.