Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 15, 1991 TAG: 9104150123
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: GENOA, ITALY LENGTH: Medium
The Cypriot-registered tanker Haven appeared to have remained intact on the sandy sea bottom 1 1/2 miles off the shore and it was believed most of the vessel's crude remained inside, officials said.
The tanker held nearly 42 million gallons of Iranian crude when it first caught fire Thursday. A Genoa port authority official, giving "an extremely rough" estimate, said 15 million gallons of oil may have burned.
A few hours after the tanker sank some oil came to the surface, but officials believed it was released as the tanker settled on the bottom, said an Environmental Ministry marine ecology expert, Eugenio Fresi. It was not immediately determined how much oil leaked.
Patches of oil have washed ashore on stretches of beach along a 20-mile swath of the resort coast near Genoa. Currents moved other slicks that one official described as "leopard spots" on the sea.
The tar reached shore within 40 miles of the French border Sunday, and could reach the principality of Monaco by today, according to Greenpeace, the international environmental organization. Monaco is about 90 miles southwest of Genoa.
Video pictures taken by underwater robots showed the tanker settled flat against the bottom.
At least six sailors were killed when the Haven exploded Thursday. Twenty-nine crew members were hospitalized, 11 of them in critical condition.
Officials have theorized that sparks from cleaning equipment may have ignited gas pockets in the tanker Thursday. Black, thick smoke spewed from the fires for four days.
Three more explosions rocked the tanker Saturday, and the final blast came on Sunday morning - 4 1/2 hours before the Haven sank.
A joint statement issued by the ministers of civil defense and environment said the damage was "containable."
The tanker went down in waters about 240 feet deep off the resort town of Arenzano, 16 miles west of Genoa.
As the tanker sank, there was worry it would cause the Mediterranean's worst environmental disaster. Greenpeace workers surveyed the area with a helicopter and said oil from the ship could be seen in spots over a 40-square-mile area.
Scores of boats helped officials set up floating barriers around the site where the Haven sank to contain spots of oil and prevent more from washing up on beaches. More barriers were erected 300 feet off about 10 miles of coastline.
Maurice Aubert, a marine biology expert from the University of Nice, and other experts said the extreme heat of the fires had likely turned the oil remaining in the tanker nearly solid. That would make it easier to remove the oil and lessen the danger of leaks.
Still, there were fears of heavy damage to water, fish and wildlife and the tourist industry. French and British experts were dispatched to help the Italians.
If the crude has solidified, salvage crews might be able to raise the tanker, said Fresi. If the oil is still rather liquid, cleanup crews might be able to pump it from the tanker.
Port and ministry officials said they expected no decision on a removal strategy before Monday at the earliest.
by CNB