USCG Proposes Safety Zones
The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to establish moving safety zones around liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) vessels with product aboard in U.S. waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Bays of Ponce, Tallaboa, and Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, and in Limetree Bay, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Other vessels and persons would be restricted from approaching within 100 yards of LHG vessels in these waters. Comments on the proposal should be submitted by August 5, 2002. Source: HK Law
Coast Guard Responds to Grounded Tank Ship
The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a 748-ft. tank ship that ran aground three miles south of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico, while en route Tallaboa, Puerto Rico, to Cartagena, Colombia. Marine inspectors and investigators from Coast Guard Resident Inspection Office Ponce, Puerto Rico, and Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico, are on scene with the tank ship Margara, a Cayman Islands flagged vessel reported to be carrying a cargo of 308,809 barrels of crude oil. Once there, the marine inspectors and investigators will inspect the vessel for signs of damage, determine if there has been a discharge of oil and begin an investigation to determine the causes of the accident. At this time, there are no reports or signs of pollution associated with the grounding.