Alaska – known for its long and severe winters as frequent storms roll in from the Pacific. In the last couple of days one such storm has added to a chain of events which may not end for quite some time.
A 225 metre cargo ship, carrying soybeans to China, lost power to its main engines and began drifting on Tuesday. The Coast Guard’s efforts to help the stricken vessel were hindered as stormy weather developed. A tug boat managed to attach a line to the ship but it didn’t last for long. The line snapped in the 6 metre waves and the ship continued to drift towards Unalaska Island, part of the Aleutian chain of islands, about 800 miles southwest of Anchorage.
The ship dropped its first anchor. This was ripped from the sea floor almost immediately. The second anchor managed to hold the ship about a mile from the shore. Early yesterday the anchor was giving way, the ship was beginning to flood and the captain was requesting help for an immediate evacuation.
Some 20 people were plucked to safety by helicopter, but disaster was about to strike again. In howling winds and very poor visibility, flying conditions were awful. The cause of the crash is unknown at the moment, but the helicopter, with the last load of evacuees plunged into the icy, heaving waters. Temperatures in the water were no higher than 6C (43F). Another helicopter stepped in and saved some people but six were still missing.
Conditions at the time were not at all favourable for a search and rescue mission. As daylight returned the winds were still blowing at about 50mph, the waves were still around 6 metres tall. The rescuers were braving the dangerous weather in the hope of finding some survivors. They have to act quickly as daylight only lasts for about five hours and is pretty feeble anyway.
The stricken ship soon broke the second anchor, drifted and finally ran aground just 60 metres from shore. Caught on the rocks and in the rough weather it didn’t take long for the ship to break in two. The ship was carrying hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil and a major spillage seems inevitable.
Sadly, the area is a wildlife refuge, home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Most of the oil aboard the ship is of the dense, viscous variety. Not the type of oil to spill in such a rocky and sensitive area. The weather may have one final part to play – if the stormy weather continues, and it looks like doing so, the rough seas may help to break up the some of the spill.
