The Associated Press
2/15/2004, 7:48 p.m. ET
BAYONNE, N.J. (AP) — Two ships collided and a third was struck while moored in the water off Bayonne early Sunday, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.
No one was hurt and no material spilled into the waterway even though the tanker involved in the accident was carrying 350,000 barrels of fuel oil, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Mike Hvozda.
The accident occurred in the Kill Van Kull, the waterway between New Jersey and Staten Island used by ship traffic to access New York Harbor.
The collision happened at 3 a.m. Sunday between an outbound freight ship and an inbound container ship. The container ship then hit the tanker, which was moored at the International-Matex Tank Terminal preparing to off-load the fuel oil, Hvozda said.
The Coast Guard is investigating the accident.
Drug and alcohol tests have not yet been completed and a damage assessment is under way, Hvozda said.
The 577-foot Turkish freight ship was carrying scrap metal to China. The 804-foot container ship, a German vessel named the Yellow Sea, was carrying more than 1,000 general cargo containers.
The Yellow Sea sustained more than 100 feet of damage to its side, Hvozda said. The extent of damages to the other two vessels was not immediately known.
Traffic on the waterway has been reduced to one lane.
Hvozda said the accident investigation could take months to complete.
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