Engine Failure Leaves Exxon Tanker Adrift

Engine failure left a fully loaded Exxon oil tanker adrift 10 miles off the coast of Washington on Wednesday, prompting rapid response from salvage tugs and the Canadian navy to prevent the ship with 21 million gallons of Alaska crude oil from drifting toward shore.

Though there was no immediate threat of a spill, the incident raised new questions about the reliability of tankers serving the Alaska oil routes. It also turned an unwelcome spotlight on Exxon’s tanker operations.

It was the third major incident involving an Exxon tanker in less than two months. Last month the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil off Alaska, and two weeks earlier the Exxon Houston lost more than 100,000 gallons off Oahu in Hawaii after it was battered by heavy seas.

The Exxon Philadelphia was bound for a refinery at March Point near Anacortes, Wash., Wednesday when it suffered a ruptured boiler tube, crippling its 19,000-horse power steam turbine.

The crew radioed an emergency at 8:16 a.m., and by noon a Canadian destroyer had arrived while four tugboats raced from Port Angeles and Victoria. By mid-afternoon two tugs were towing the tanker to Port Angeles for repairs.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Rober Kramak said a full-scale emergency response was justified. “I don’t think it’s run-of-the-mill that such a large crude carrier would lose power just outside the Strait of Juan de Fuca,” he said.

Les Rogers, a Houston-based spokesman for Exxon, said: “There’s no danger. There was never any threat.”