OIL TANKER BREAKING UP; SCOTS BAN FISHING

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 9, 1993                   TAG: 9301090155
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: SUMBURGH, SHETLAND ISLANDS                                LENGTH: Short
OIL TANKER BREAKING UP; SCOTS BAN FISHING
The wrecked oil tanker Braer apparently was breaking up on the rocks of this island late Friday, as Scottish authorities banned all fishing in the area because of pollution risks.
About as much crude oil that has been contaminating the coast and adjacent fields probably is still aboard the 700-foot tanker, said Capt. Geert Koffeman of the Dutch salvage company Smit Tak, which was to try to pump out the remaining cargo.
Capt. George Sutherland, Shetlands marine operations chief, said the ship was "showing signs of breakup in the aft area," adding "the engine room is separating from the cargo tank area."
If the ship's stern does snap off, it may be easier for crews to salvage the remaining crude because the section of the vessel containing the tanks might become more stable, Koffeman said. He said crews hope to reach the tanker's cargo holds to pump the oil there through floating hoses into an offshore barge.
But heavy seas and high winds continued to frustrate cleanup efforts Friday. Authorities for a second day grounded DC-3 Dakota planes that were to spray chemicals to disperse the slick. They said that the continuing, stiff winds blew cleanup chemicals onto land rather than their settling on the oil-soaked water.
For Shetlanders, the oily mist from the huge spill and wind-churned ocean continued to be a major irritant and health concern.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB