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Rough seas for ship being towed in Bering Sea
[December 06, 2010]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)
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The vessels bucked waves of 25 feet as they made slow but steady progress toward the Aleutian Island community of Dutch Harbor, officials said. The 18,000-horsepower Tor Viking II began its tow of the 738-foot Golden Seas with a crew of 20 late Saturday, a few hours after they rendezvoused in the Bering Sea, about 45 miles north of Atka Island. The vessels initially were expected to make the 275-mile trip to Dutch Harbor by early Monday. But Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr said the tug boat captain decided to take a longer route south of the island chain where seas were somewhat less rough. The course change was expected to add about 20 to 30 hours to the trip, delaying the arrival until sometime Tuesday. Warr said Sunday evening the vessels were dealing with waves between 20 and 25 feet, despite predictions that the rough seas would abate. "We thought it would diminish more than it has," Warr said. The towing operation involved attaching a 2,400-foot line from the towing vessel to the ship. The long line was helping absorb the shock of the waves hitting the vessel as it was being towed, he said. The ship developed engine trouble in strong winds and rough seas Friday, raising concerns of grounding as it drifted toward Atka Island, about 1,300 miles southwest of Anchorage. But even before the tug arrived, the ship had regained some power, easing those worries. Responders said the vessel, which is managed by Allseas Marine, based in Athens, Greece, lost its turbo charger. That left it without enough power to overcome 29-foot seas and winds blowing at 45 mph. Authorities said the Liberia-flagged ship is carrying a full load of canola seeds and more than 457,500 gallons of fuel oil, nearly 12,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 10,000 gallons of lube oil. The ship is en route from Vancouver, Canada, to the United Arab Emirates, the Coast Guard said. |
