NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Divers have patched a hole in a cargo ship that was leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico near Venice, and the vessel was headed up the Mississippi River to a repair facility on Sunday, authorities said.Caost Guard Capt. Edward Stanton said it’s not yet clear exactly how much oil leaked from a 2-inch hole in the vessel Pac Alkaid, but it doesn’t appear to be a major environmental concern. Stanton called the spill a medium one, which would mean a spill of more than 10,000 gallons.Early estimates were that as much as 12,000 gallons of the bunker oil may have escaped, but Staton said any number put on the amount of lost fuel at this point would be speculation. “Luckily the damage was not sever and the rate of flow was not huge,” Stanton told The Associated Press.Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]
Divers plug hole in ship that leaked oil into Gulf
November 1, 2009