Reuters 31 Jul 09;
OSLO (Reuters) - A Chinese-owned dry-bulk vessel is leaking fuel after running aground near Langesund on the Norwegian coast during stormy conditions overnight, rescue authorities said on Friday.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Center said 16 sailors had been evacuated from the vessel and seven remained on the ship. The entire crew are Chinese nationals.
"We have put a request to the company (operating the ship) to put pressure on the captain (to abandon the vessel) because Norwegian coast guard reports indicate the ship may not survive," rescue mission spokesman Stein Solberg told Reuters.
He said a helicopter was standing by to evacuate the rest of the crew from the Panama-registered "Full City" vessel, which ran aground without cargo but with up to 1,120 tons of fuel on board. It is operated by Hong Kong-based Cosco.
Television channel TV2 showed pictures of oil coming ashore along the North Sea coastline in southern Norway -- a popular summer holiday area west of the Oslo fjord.
A Norwegian representative of the World Wildlife Fund said the spill could affect a large number of birds from a nearby sanctuary and called on volunteers to help with the clean-up.
(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa and Terje Solsvik)
Norway police charge ship captain after fuel spill
Wojciech Moskwa, Reuters 3 Aug 09;
OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian police on Monday charged the Chinese captain of a dry bulk vessel for not warning the coastal authorities that his ship was in danger during a storm last week that led to one of Norway's biggest fuel spills.
The Chinese-owned "Full City" ship has remained grounded near Langesund since early Friday morning, when it was blown off course during a heavy storm and started leaking fuel.
The spill has affected a 150-kilometer (93 mile) stretch of coastline in southern Norway and occurred near a bird sanctuary and a popular summer resort about 170 km south-west of Oslo.
"The captain of the vessel has been charged for not reporting that his ship was in a dangerous situation," police attorney Siri Karlsen told a news conference. The charge carries a maximum two-year jail sentence, Norway's TV2 television said.
The clean up efforts have involved some 25 ships helping to contain the fuel, which has now stopped leaking from the vessel's hull. Onshore workers are also working to clear the syrupy dark fuel from the mostly rocky coastline.
"The situation is very sad both for the residents and the entire environment affected by the spill," said Helga Pedersen, Norway's fisheries and coastal affairs minister.
Sveinung Nedregotten, a spokesman for the Norwegian coastal administration, said wind and waves were pushing the spill southwest along Norway's coast, although the damage to areas further away from the accident was smaller.
It was not yet clear how much of the vessel's 1,120 tons of fuel had leaked out. The ship is operated by Hong Kong-based Cosco. Its 23-strong crew are all Chinese nationals.
"This is one of Norway's worst spills, particularly because it happened in this pristine area near bird sanctuaries," Nedregotten said.
"If the weather stays like this, the ship should be quite stable ... allowing us to empty all its fuel."
(Editing by Jon Hemming)
