Missing Prop Cut Tanker? (Phila./NJ - 12/1/04)
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA-December 1, 2004 — The U.S. Coast Guard is revising the severity of the spilled oil on the Delaware River, and Action News has learned of one possible cause that's being examined.
Early reports indicated the Greek tanker Athos I had leaked about 30,000 gallons of oil onto the Delaware River Friday night. Now, the U.S. Coast Guard says the worst case estimate put the oil spill at 473,500 gallons. That would make it the worst oil spill on record for the Delaware River.
Nobody is sure what caused the 2 holes on the tanker from which the oil flowed, but Action News has learned of one possibility that is being examined.
In April, a dredging ship used by the Army Corps of Engineers lost a 23-foot diameter propeller while working in the Delaware River. It was never found.
Shipping traffic is slowly resuming, based on a priority basis depending on their cargo.
Anyone with a real addiction to tin foil would flash back to the divers up the Hudson River last winter.
Sure doesn't pass the smell test.