Coast Guard probes cause of oil spill at port of Philadelphia

Coast Guard probes cause of oil spill at port of Philadelphia    The U.S. Coast Guard has begun investigating why a Cyprus-registered, Greek-owned tanker spilled 30,000 gallons of heavy crude oil into the Delaware River on Friday night. Private contractors using booms worked over the weekend to contain a 12-mile-long slick.
   The Delaware River was closed to all traffic between the Walt Whitman Bridge in Philadelphia and the Commodore Barry Bridge, about 15 miles to the southwest.
   Two tugs were assisting the “Athos I”, a 750-foot long, double-hulled tanker, en route to a Citgo refinery in Paulsboro, N.J., when a tugboat master noticed oil pouring from the tanker. The “Athos I” notified the Coast Guard of the spill at 9:15 p.m. Friday.
   After the “Athos I” had listed as much as eight degrees, the crew started pumping oil from a leaking tank to another tank. The vessel was carrying 325,000 barrels of oil from Venezuela.
   Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey of New Jersey said the port of Philadelphia would remain closed for three days. Cleaning up the oil could take as long as three months, and residual effects will be felt for six months, Codey said.
   Codey said Tsakos Shipping and Trading, owner of the “Athos I,” would pay for the cleanup. Tsakos officials “deeply regret that this incident occurred,” said Jim Lawrence, a spokesman for the company.