NATION IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Barge Full of Fuel Drifts, Is Captured

An unmanned barge carrying 5 million gallons of jet fuel drifted for more than a day near the site of the Exxon Valdez oil spill before a tug lassoed the vessel, the Coast Guard reported. At one point the 400-foot barge drifted within 1 1/2 miles of a reef. It broke loose from a tug in stormy weather 20 miles north of Cape St. Elias in the Gulf of Alaska, near the entrance to Prince William Sound. Before the barge was brought under tow, officials had considered bringing in an Army ordnance team to blow up the barge and burn off the fuel to prevent it from running aground and spilling its cargo. The site is about 20 miles south of Prince William Sound, where the Exxon Valdez hit a reef on March 24 and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil, the worst spill in U.S. history.