P. M. BRIEFING : ‘Massive’ Oil Spill Off Saudi Coast
An Indian supertanker fully loaded with crude oil hit a reef off the Saudi Arabian coast and ran aground, causing a massive oil spill, shipping sources in the Persian Gulf said today.
They said the 283,878-ton tanker Kanchenjunga struck Abu Nakhla reef, about three miles off Jiddah, late Wednesday and “many tons” of oil leaked into the sea.
The sources confirmed that the crew of the vessel, owned by the Shipping Corp. of India, is safe. The Kanchenjunga’s captain, in a ship-to-shore telephone call, confirmed the tanker ran aground off Jiddah but refused to give details, referring all queries to the vessel’s agents in Saudi Arabia.
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