Ship Runs Aground on Coral Reef Off Hawaii; 117,000 Gallons of Oil Spilled

HONOLULU — More than 117,000 gallons of oil gushed from the tank and fuel lines of a ruptured tanker that ran aground on a coral reef and dark goo from a drifting 1-mile-long slick washed onto a remote beach Friday, the Coast Guard said.

The tanker drifted onto a coral reef about 1,000 yards southwest of Barbers Point lighthouse Thursday. The famous beaches of Waikiki are 15 miles east of Barbers Point on the south shore of the island.

There were no reported injuries to the 24 crewmen aboard the tanker.

Coast Guard spokesman Keith Spangler said, “We have the possibility of a major pollution incident,” but Coast Guard official Dennis Hubbard of the Marine Safety Office said the ship appeared to be in no immediate danger of sinking or losing its cargo of 90,000 barrels of crude oil.