Freighter-crash inquiry expected to take weeks

12/17/2012

Investigation of an accident last week in which a freighter struck a bulkhead at a dock in Oregon, resulting in a small fuel spill, is likely to take several weeks to complete, a Coast Guard official said.

About 2 quarts of bunker oil, a thick petroleum grade, leaked into the water near the Torco iron ore dock after the M.V. CSL Tadoussac struck the dock wall Tuesday morning and breached a fuel tank, said Lt. John Adkins at the Marine Safety Office, Toledo. The oil was contained by booms, he said.

The freighter moved to the Toledo Shipyard for hull repairs, Lieutenant Adkins said. Why the ship hit the bulkhead remains to be determined.