Tug gashes tanker but no oil is spilled

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — No oil was spilled when a tugboat hit a docked tanker ship and gashed its hull in south-central Alaska last week, officials said.

The tugboat struck the Polar Endeavor oil tanker at the Valdez Marine Terminal on Jan. 11, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday.

The Coast Guard is investigating the crash that injured one crew member of the tugboat named Courageous.

The crash happened as the tugboat approached the Polar Endeavour, which was stationary at the dock after loading oil cargo, said Brooke Taylor of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.

The tugboat was out of control and hit the tanker, slicing it open and allowing ballast water from the tanker to spill, Taylor said.

“I don’t believe the tanker was in motion,” Taylor said.

The tanker underwent repairs to make it seaworthy and both vessels were inspected by the Coast Guard before being returned to service, Taylor said.

The 900-foot oil tanker was built in 2001 and is owned by ConocoPhillips, Alaska’s leading oil producer.

The gash of less than 3 feet happened about 10 feet above the waterline, said Crystal Smith of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

The agency is gathering information and investigating with the Coast Guard to avoid another similar accident, Smith said.

The marine terminal is about 100 miles east of Anchorage in Prince William Sound, where 11 million gallons of oil spilled after the tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in 1989.

The terminal receives 500,000 barrels of oil produced daily on Alaska’s North Slope.

The oil is transferred to tankers and transported to refineries primarily on the West Coast.