Oil tanker grounded near mouth of Mississippi, no leak seen

29 September 2009 00:00  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--A tanker carrying 602,000 gal (2.28m litres) of crude oil ran aground and is blocking vessel traffic near the mouth of the Mississippi river, the most important US commercial waterway, the Coast Guard said on Monday.

No leak has been detected from the Singapore-flagged Eagle Tucson, which ran aground at 2:45 hours Houston time (07:45 GMT) early Monday near Pilottown, Louisiana, according to a Coast Guard statement.

At least eight deep-draft vessels are being held up at the mouth of the lower Mississippi due to the incident, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. News reports said four tugboats are on the scene, with another two en route, to help refloat the Eagle Tucson, and a lightering vessel arrived to transfer its cargo if necessary. 

The ship, owned by UK-based AET, was due to arrive on Monday at a plant in Chalmette, Louisiana, which is co-owned by ExxonMobil and PVDSA, Venezuela's state oil company.

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By: Lane Kelley
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