Oil slick from ôBow Marinerö dissipates, crew search suspended
The U.S. Coast Guard has reported that fuel oil spilled from the chemical tanker “Bow Mariner,” which exploded and sank Feb. 28 off the coast of Virginia, is being carried farther out to sea by northwest winds.
The Coast Guard said it suspended its search for more of the vessel’s crew. The tanker had 27 persons on board; rescuers have found six survivors and recovered three bodies.
“The ethanol is dissipating. The fuel oil is clumping into solid balls and mats floating just beneath the surface in quantities too small to recover,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The Singapore-flag “Bow Mariner” was carrying a partial cargo of 3.2 million gallons of ethanol when it blew up after a fire had started on deck.
The explosion occurred about 50 miles east of Chincoteague, Va. An official of the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority is traveling to the U.S. to assist authorities in an investigation of the incident.