Tanker grounded in St Kitts

Tanker Azra-S grounded in the Basseterre harbor as heavy swells pounds Basseterre. (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, Wednesday October 6, 2010 – A tug boat from the Dutch island of St Eustatius was headed to St Kitts yesterday to free a ship that got struck as it was transporting fuel.

Director of Maritime Affairs, Mc Clean Hobson said the Turkish-flagged oil tanker, Azra-S, broke its mooring in the Basseterre harbour the previous night during rough weather.

The motor tanker Azra-S arrived in St Kitts late Sunday afternoon with just over 22,000 barrels of diesel for Sol and Texaco. It had already transferred 3,900 barrels when it ran into problems.

“At about 8 o’clock last night (Monday) it broke its moorings due to rough seas and was grounded on the seabed, just offshore,” Hobson explained.

He said he expects no oil spill as the tanker is a modern vessel with double hull.

However, Hobson said, “anything can happen and we are monitoring the situation”.

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