German Tanker Runs Aground, Spills Heating Oil

A German-registered tanker ran aground on the Danube, spilling several hundred liters of heating oil into the river, Austrian shipping police said on Monday.

The accident happened late on Sunday near the Lower Austrian town of Krems, 62 miles west of Vienna. Initial estimates that some 25,000 liters (5,499 Imp gallons) had leaked were exaggerated, said the Melk shipping police.

The oil spillage had been contained and there was no immediate threat to the environment, the police added. The tanker had been transporting 1.7 million liters (373,900 Imp gallons) of heating oil.