greenlink%gn@cdp.uucp (09/18/89)
Via GreenLink:
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By DEAN SCHABNER
NEW YORK (UPI) -- A barge carrying more than 3 million gallons
of gasoline ran aground in the East River and spewed 75,600
gallons of fuel into the water before Coast Guard, police and
fire crews stopped the leak Thursday morning.
The heavily traveled Triboro Bridge, closed for six hours after
the barge ran aground because of fears the gasoline could ignite,
was reopened Thursday morning just in time for rush-hour traffic.
The barge Morania 440 was carrying more than 3 million gallons
of gasoline when the tug's engine failed and the barge ran
aground under the bridge Wednesday night, authorities said. It
leaked fuel into the East River for nearly five hours, forcing
officials to close both the river and the bridge connecting
Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.
A spotty sheen of gas moved with the tide along the East River
from Manhattan to the Whitestone Bridge connecting Queens and the
Bronx, Coast Guard officials said.
Environmental damage was minimal because the gasoline dissipated
quickly, the Coast Guard said, noting there was no cleanup.
The Triboro bridge was closed shortly after the vessel ran
aground at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday and reopened at 4:15 a.m., in time
for early morning commuters, police said.
The bridge section connecting Manhattan and Queens was closed in
both directions because officials feared the gas fumes could
ignite, possibly engulfing the bridge in flames, said Deputy
Chief of Police William Conroy.
A 6 1/2-mile stretch of the East River, from Hunts Point to the
Brooklyn Bridge, also was closed to keep boaters from
accidentally igniting the gas.
The gasoline was expected to dissipate by late afternoon or
early evening, said Capt. Robert North, the commander of the
Coast Guard's New York operation.
The damaged barge was floated off the rocks when the tide came
in at 4 a.m. and it was hauled to Castle Terminal at Hunts Point,
in the Bronx, Coast Guard officials said. There the vessel was to
be examined to determine the extent of the damage to the hull and
gasoline tanks.
North said the coast guard tested the ship's captain for drugs
or alcohol and he did not appear to be impaired. Four other crew
members of the tug and the two who rode on the barge were given
breathalyzer tests.
None of the seven people on the two vessels were hurt in the
accident.
The Morania 440 was being towed in the East River between the
Triboro and Hell Gate bridges when it ran aground because of
engine problems, rupturing one of the vessel's 10 tanks,
officials said. Each of the tanks contained about 325,000 gallons
of gasoline.
"It appears to be machinery failure that allowed the current to
push the barge againt the bank," North said, noting the accident
occurred in the Hell Gate part of the river, known for the
roughest currents in the city.
The ruptured compartment spewed 75,600 gallons of gasoline into
the East River before the leak was brought under control, Crawley
said.
The leaking gas was rapidly carried downstream by the outgoing
tide, but fire department officials said the gas posed little
danger away from the barge because it quickly evaporated off the
surface of the river.
The Coast Guard did not try to contain the leak with a boom
because of fears it could concentrate the gas fumes and increase
the danger of an explosion, Crawley said.
The fully loaded gasoline barge, owned by the Morania Oil Corp.
of Manhattan, was en route from Philadelphia to New Haven, Conn.,
Crawley said.
North said Morania faces fines of up to $5,000.
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Patt Haring | United Nations | FAX: 212-787-1726
patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | BBS: 201-795-0733
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