Coast Guard responding to tanker ship with ruptured tank in Gravesend Bay

DATE: January 10, 2010 11:40:06 AM EST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public Affairs Detachment New York
U.S. Coast Guard

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Date: Jan. 10, 2009 Public Affairs (212) 668-7114

News Release

Coast Guard responding to tanker ship with ruptured tank in Gravesend Bay

*Editor's Note: Information was corrected in this release.

NEW YORK – The Coast Guard is responding to a tanker ship in Gravesend Bay that ruptured a tank around 9 a.m today.

There were no reports of pollution or injuries resulting from the rupture.

The tanker vessel Sichem Defiance, a 443-foot Marshall Islands-flagged vessel owned by Eitsen Chemical, based in India, was onloading 55, 000 barrels of ethanol when the incident occurred. The master of the tanker reported that the #3 tank was over-preassurized, causing the rupture and a one-meter section of the main deck to collapse.

“The Coast Guard is evacuating all vessels out of Gravesend Bay as a precautionary measure,” said Lt. j.g. Eric Hanson, Coast Guard Sector New York’s command duty officer. “An 1,000-yard safety zone has also been established around the vessel. We are urging mariners to use caution when transiting this area while we respond.”

A response boat crew from Coast Guard Station New York is on scene. The Coast Guard has requested aerial assistance from the New York City Police Department.

The tank vessel, currently anchored offshore in Gravesend Bay, has a double hull design and no product has been discharged into the water.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

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