27 Missing as British Tanker Burns at Sea
A British-owned oil tanker broke in half and caught fire today in the heavy seas of the North Atlantic, and rescuers said they found two scorched lifeboats but no sign of the ship’s 27 crew members.
“Both lifeboats were empty and both were badly burned,” Canadian Coast Guard official Paul Kendrick said. “Survival out there is not good. The water is very frigid. In the water, with no survival suits on, you probably would perish in a matter of hours, at most.”
The 65,000-ton Odyssey, laden with crude oil, broke up in 25-foot seas and 45-knot winds 700 miles northeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland. There was no indication what caused the ship to break up and catch fire.
The Soviet weather vessel Passat picked up the ship’s distress call at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday and arrived on the scene two hours later to help search for the 15 Greek and 12 Honduran crew members, said Roger Lowes of Lloyd’s shipping intelligence unit in London.
“Odyssey in two pieces, vessel on fire,” the Soviet vessel radioed from the scene.
A Canadian Defense Department patrol aircraft surveyed the scene today looking for survivors.
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