18 Crew Members Still Missing in Atlantic

February 29, 2004; Page C01
By Clarence Williams and Martin Weil, Washington Post Staff Writers

A chemical tanker loaded with 31/2 million gallons of volatile ethanol exploded and sank last night in the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Three crew members were confirmed dead and 18 others were reported missing.

The 570-foot tanker, with a crew of 27, was en route from New York to Houston with a cargo of ethanol, a liquid fuel additive, when a fire and explosion occurred shortly after 6 p.m. about 55 miles east of Chincoteague Island off Virginia's Eastern Shore, the Coast Guard said.

Six crew members, who were found together in a life raft, were rescued by the Coast Guard and flown by helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. One of them was in critical condition with hypothermia. Others were being treated for exposure to the elements and to ethanol and oil. From initial reports, it appeared that the oil was fuel from the tanker.

A seventh person, who was found in a separate raft that showed fire damage, was picked up by a fishing vessel, according to the Coast Guard. He apparently died last night at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Md., after arriving in critical condition with severe burns. Another person died at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, Md. It was not clear where the third victim was taken.

At least four Coast Guard personnel were taken to hospitals. Two rescue divers were treated at Atlantic General and released. Another diver and a helicopter crew member were taken to Sentara Norfolk and were being held for observation last night.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. However, ethanol is regarded as highly flammable. Chemically, it is considered an alcohol and is widely used as a gasoline additive to enhance combustion.

It was not clear last night whether there would be environmental damage from the shipwreck, which occurred about 160 miles southeast of Washington.

Coast Guard officials said a pollution response team from its Marine Safety Office and other federal agencies mobilized last night. However, officials said they could not fully assess potential environmental risks because of the darkness and rescue efforts.

The Coast Guard said it received a distress call from the ship about 6 p.m. reporting a fire and an explosion. A spokesman for the volunteer fire department in Ocean City said he understood that the Coast Guard station there received two calls from the ship.

Steve Price said the first call "reported fire somewhere on deck." He said a later message said that there had been an explosion and that "the vessel was taking on water." By 9:30 p.m., the ship had sunk, according to initial reports.

The Coast Guard was continuing to search the Atlantic for survivors early today. A 47-foot Coast Guard rescue craft was on the scene, and two larger Coast Guard vessels were also dispatched, according to a statement from the Coast Guard.

Three helicopters -- an HH-65 Dolphin and two HH-60 Jayhawks -- were engaged in the search and rescue operation, and a C-130 aircraft equipped with a spotlight was overhead for at least part of the time.

"We are still actively involved in the search for the surviving crew members," said Petty Officer Stacey Pardini, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Sea conditions for the search appeared generally benign. Winds at the site were reported about 10 knots from the northwest, with relatively small waves of two to three feet.

Three other vessels, apparently diverted from their courses in the East Coast shipping lanes, were reported at or near the site. One was described as a bulk carrier, the other two as commercial shipping vessels.

Based on preliminary accounts, two of those who died were flown by Coast Guard helicopter to a staging area at the Ocean City airport.

When they arrived, according to Price, they were in "trauma arrest" with CPR in progress.

Price said that decontamination units were waiting at the airport early this morning to treat any additional survivors. He said decontamination was primarily to remove oil.

The tanker, the Bow Mariner, sailed under the Singapore flag, the Coast Guard said.

A Web site shows a ship of that name being operated by the Greece-based company Ceres Hellenic. Officials of the company could not be reached immediately.

According to the Web site, the Bow Mariner was built in 1982 in Croatia and displaces 39,800 tons.

Ethanol is an alternative fuel produced from plant material, such as corn, barley or wheat. It has been most commonly used to increase the performance of gasoline and to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. It is sometimes blended with gasoline in a mixture of one part ethanol to nine parts gasoline.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15992-2004Feb29.html