Removal of Oil From Stricken Tanker Begins

A Norwegian ship on Thursday was pumping the remaining crude off the Mega Borg, and an oil slick from the battered tanker moved farther offshore, the Coast Guard reported.

“Everything is going well. They are now at full pump capacity, approximately 600,000 barrels per hour,” Chief Petty Officer Jerry Snyder said of the cargo transfer. “They anticipate that the operation will take five days to complete.”

Coast Guard Lt. Bob Hennessy said the 742-foot tanker Janus arrived Wednesday. A second vessel was scheduled to take over for the Janus on Saturday.

Workers earlier pumped volatile fumes out of the Mega Borg’s cargo tanks, a job that had to be completed before the process of offloading the remaining crude could begin.

The Mega Borg has been anchored 57 miles off the Texas coast since it was rocked by a series of explosions that began June 8, killing two men. Two others were missing and presumed dead.

The blasts tore open part of the vessel and dumped 3.9-million gallons of light crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico over nine days.

Most of the oil burned off in a fire that raged for a week, and 463,000 gallons have been collected by skimming vessels. An oil slick splintered over 30 miles moved toward High Island but then stalled about 10 miles offshore before seaward winds helped push it farther away from the coast.

Coast Guard flyovers indicated that the leading edge of the sheen was 18 miles offshore Thursday.