Gash found on vessel's cargo tank after river oil spill

PHILADELPHIA - Divers found a 6-foot gash on the tanker that leaked 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River, creating a 20-mile-long slick that killed dozens of birds and threatened other wildlife, officials said Sunday.

Divers investigating the listing Athos I on Saturday found holes in the underwater cargo tank closest to the rear of the vessel and in an outside ballast tank, said Jim Lawrence, spokesman for the tanker's Greek owner, Tsakos Shipping and Trading SA.

The company said something probably struck the tanks underwater, but the Coast Guard investigation has not confirmed that, spokesman Lt. Buddy Dye said.

Two tug boats were guiding the 750-foot tanker toward a dock in Paulsboro, N.J., where the Venezuelan crude oil was to be delivered to a Citgo Petroleum Corp. refinery, when the leak was discovered late Friday.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said 50 birds were dead from the spill, 300 others were affected and fish also were threatened.

A stretch of the busy river was closed to commercial and recreational traffic while the spill was being cleaned up, although the Coast Guard hoped to allow a few commercial vessels through Monday to deliver goods to the busy Port of Philadelphia.

Lawrence said Tsakos hoped to unload the remaining oil from the Athos I, which had 325,000 barrels of oil aboard in seven cargo tanks, before repairing the ship.