Winds Keep Oil Offshore : Orange County Holds Its Breath as Slick Drifts : Sensitive Wetlands Imperiled

Winds kept a 2-mile-long slick of Alaskan crude oil from washing ashore as of noon today, raising hopes that the 300,000-gallon spill can be cleaned up before causing serious damage to Orange County beaches and wildlife sanctuary, authorities said.

“We have been extremely lucky,” said Peter Bontadelli, director of the state Department of Fish and Game. “The wind changed (last night) and the oil has not hit the beaches.”

But shortly after noon today, Huntington Beach Mayor Thomas J. Mays said winds were shifting, threatening to drive the slick ashore near the environmentally sensitive Bolsa Chica Wetlands, north of the city.

Scores of volunteers, environmentalists and local city officials anxiously watched the purplish slick--about 2 miles long and 4 miles wide--as it drifted about 3 miles off Huntington Beach. Officials said it was too large to encircle with a boom, so cleanup efforts were focused on scooping up the light crude from the damaged tanker the American Trader. Several large skimming vessels were on the scene.

State officials said two dozen shore birds had been fouled by the oil, and six have died.

The cause of the spill was still under investigation, with the skipper and crew of the U.S.-registered tanker under orders to remain on board for questioning. The ship’s owner said that alcohol tests proved “negative,” but the results of drug tests will not be completed for at least two days. The owner, American Trading & Transportation Co., said the vessel struck its own anchor as it attempted to moor offshore to unload a cargo of crude through underwater pipelines for a Santa Fe Springs refinery. The anchor theory was supported by U.S. Coast Guard officials.

“It’s very likely the anchor,” said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Dan Dewell. “Our investigators have seen damage to the anchor.”

According to industry sources, the 21-year-old ship has been involved in four relatively minor accidents, two within the last 10 months. No oil was spilled in those accidents.

A federal emergency response team considered using chemical dispersants and lighting the oil afire in cleanup efforts but ruled out both options after reviewing the scene, said Terry Wilson of the Environmental Protection Agency’s district office San Francisco.

“It was too close to the coastline, especially a sandy coast like you have in Huntington Beach,” Wilson said.

He placed the updated spill figure at 300,000 gallons and said the tanker suffered two ruptures on its starboard side.

A host of local and state politicians descended on Huntington Beach today, staging a series of press conferences to voice support for cleanup efforts and raise questions about oil drilling and tanker movement in Southern California.

Pictures of tanker oil spill off Huntington Beach. Back Page