Tanker Vessel Hits Bridge, Spews Oil

An oil tanker trying to squeeze through a tight drawbridge gashed its hull, spilling 109,200 gallons of heating oil and fuel into the harbor at Portland. The tanker Julie N was carrying 8.8 million gallons of heating oil, officials said. The accident spilled 84,000 gallons of the ship’s fuel as well as 25,200 gallons of the heating oil. Officials banned fishing in the Fore River, and the Million Dollar Bridge, a major commuting route, will be closed indefinitely. The tanker continued on to a terminal, where its cargo was pumped out. Crews used booms to contain the spill.