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206-foot freighter sinks off Hollywood with 6,000 gallons of fuel aboard
By Christiana Sciaudone
Staff Writer
Posted June 17 2003
A commercial freighter laden with 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel sank off Hollywood's beach Monday morning, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. No one was injured.
The cause of the incident is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office.
The ship's sinking created a debris field and a sheen of diesel fuel about a half-mile long, said Petty Officer Danielle DeMarino. She added that diesel fuel evaporates quickly in summer conditions, and should not have a long-term environmental impact.
The Honduran-flagged freighter sank in the Gulf Stream, the powerful current that flows north along the east coast of North America and then out to sea, said Ben Sherman, spokesman for the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As a result, any fuel or other hazardous materials probably would not be a threat to Florida coast because they would be swept north, Sherman said. No further information on other possible hazards was available Monday.
The Silhouette, a 206-foot freighter, left Miami for Haiti on Saturday with supplies of rice, beans, cooking oil, and other foodstuff, officials said. The ship's customs agent would not reveal the owner of the Silhouette or the purpose of the voyage Monday.
"The vessel had been at sea for one day after experiencing engine problems near the Miami Sea buoy shortly after beginning their outbound transit," DeMarino said.
She said the ship drifted north and anchored about 11/2 miles off Hollywood's beach.
The ship's crew notified the Coast Guard around midnight that the vessel was listing and taking on water. By 12:30 p.m., the captain, seven crew members and one passenger had been evacuated from the sinking ship, which was tilting about 20 degrees, officials said. "They had been taking on water since the 14th, but didn't notify us," said Petty Officer Ryan Doss.
The crew and passengers, from Haiti, Honduras, and elsewhere, were taken to the Fort Lauderdale Coast Guard Station and interviewed by immigration and customs agents, DeMarino said. By afternoon, all but one had been released to the vessel's customs agent, Five Star Shipping.
An Indonesian crew member was taken into custody because of an immigration violation, said Zachary Mann, spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Before dawn Monday, a commercial salvage operator towed the sinking Silhouette five miles out to sea, where it sank in 300 feet of water, DeMarino said.
The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office is monitoring the situation and overseeing the cleanup.
Local beaches remain open, Doss said. However, debris from the ship was reported washing ashore in Fort Lauderdale Monday morning. Fire rescue workers there reported finding propane tanks on beaches on both the 500 block of South A1A and the 300 block of North A1A before 10 a.m.
Marc
By Christiana Sciaudone
Staff Writer
Posted June 17 2003
A commercial freighter laden with 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel sank off Hollywood's beach Monday morning, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. No one was injured.
The cause of the incident is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office.
The ship's sinking created a debris field and a sheen of diesel fuel about a half-mile long, said Petty Officer Danielle DeMarino. She added that diesel fuel evaporates quickly in summer conditions, and should not have a long-term environmental impact.
The Honduran-flagged freighter sank in the Gulf Stream, the powerful current that flows north along the east coast of North America and then out to sea, said Ben Sherman, spokesman for the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As a result, any fuel or other hazardous materials probably would not be a threat to Florida coast because they would be swept north, Sherman said. No further information on other possible hazards was available Monday.
The Silhouette, a 206-foot freighter, left Miami for Haiti on Saturday with supplies of rice, beans, cooking oil, and other foodstuff, officials said. The ship's customs agent would not reveal the owner of the Silhouette or the purpose of the voyage Monday.
"The vessel had been at sea for one day after experiencing engine problems near the Miami Sea buoy shortly after beginning their outbound transit," DeMarino said.
She said the ship drifted north and anchored about 11/2 miles off Hollywood's beach.
The ship's crew notified the Coast Guard around midnight that the vessel was listing and taking on water. By 12:30 p.m., the captain, seven crew members and one passenger had been evacuated from the sinking ship, which was tilting about 20 degrees, officials said. "They had been taking on water since the 14th, but didn't notify us," said Petty Officer Ryan Doss.
The crew and passengers, from Haiti, Honduras, and elsewhere, were taken to the Fort Lauderdale Coast Guard Station and interviewed by immigration and customs agents, DeMarino said. By afternoon, all but one had been released to the vessel's customs agent, Five Star Shipping.
An Indonesian crew member was taken into custody because of an immigration violation, said Zachary Mann, spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Before dawn Monday, a commercial salvage operator towed the sinking Silhouette five miles out to sea, where it sank in 300 feet of water, DeMarino said.
The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office is monitoring the situation and overseeing the cleanup.
Local beaches remain open, Doss said. However, debris from the ship was reported washing ashore in Fort Lauderdale Monday morning. Fire rescue workers there reported finding propane tanks on beaches on both the 500 block of South A1A and the 300 block of North A1A before 10 a.m.
Marc
