Crew abandons giant oil tanker after it cracks, catches fire

Press, 2 January 1979, Page 5

Crew abandons giant oil tanker after it cracks, catches fire

International

A-R cuter La Coruna (Spain) A Greek supertanker loaded with about 100,000 tonnes of crude oil caught fire off north-west Spain yesterday (N.Z. time) and most of the crew abandoned ship, the maritime radio in La Coruna, Spain, has said.

The Andros Patria blazed soon after sending a distress message that it was crackec amidships on a trip frorr Iran to Rotterdam. Three crew remainec aboard the tanker, but th( other 39 took to the liferaft: and rescue vessels searchec for survivors. First reports said that 2( of the crew had been picket Up in heavy seas. Later the Spanish Navy said there were 17 crewmer on liferafts and a helicoptei was standing by to pick them up as soon as the weather improved. It was not clear if any other creu

had been picked up by ships i near the tanker. . There were fears at one stage that the Andros Patria, 1 about 40km off the coast, might sink and cause wideI spread pollution. But one of the rescue ves- ; seis, the British bulk carrier , Bolness, said the tanker was still afloat and the fire appeared to be out. || There were no immediate details of oil spillage from! The tanker. Several ships and tugs' ■ went to the aid of the! tanker and a Coruna radio] ] spokesman said an attempt ] ! would be made to tow it to safety. *

The world’s worst oiltanker disaster occurred last March when the Liberianregistered Amoco Cadiz broke up off the Brittany coast. It spilled 220,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea and caused widespread pollution. A Coruna radio spokes-1 man said the Andros Patria] was still afloat and drifting] away from the coast. “There! is a very stormy sea,” he! ] added. The spokesman confirmed] That the tanker had a frac-i iture amidships in its hull,: but the ship had not broken: up.