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Improved weather aids oil spill cleanup

Freighter broke in half off Alaska's Aleutian Islands


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Coast Guard
Alaska
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

(CNN) -- Weather conditions improved Sunday as crews continued efforts to clean up an oil spill from a broken freighter off Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

The Malaysia-flagged Selendang Ayu ran aground and broke in half Wednesday. Six of its crew members died.

The 738-foot freighter was carrying 483,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil and 21,000 gallons of diesel fuel, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, but officials have been unable to determine how much has spilled.

Efforts to contain and clean up the spill have been hampered by weather conditions and the fact that the area receives only a few hours of sunlight each day during this time of year.

U.S. Coast Guard and state environmental crews loaded ships and aircraft Sunday for the six-hour water trip to Skan Bay, "in hopes that the current weather conditions will hold long enough for them to make some solid assessments of the situation," according to a statement. Pieces of the freighter remain in the bay off Unalaska Island.

The forecast through Monday for the area predicts winds of 10-15 knots (12-17 mph) and 6- to 12-foot seas -- much calmer conditions than Saturday, when winds were between 35-50 mph and seas ranged from 14-24 feet.

Operations planned for Sunday included lowering a salvage team onto the Selendang Ayu to start surveying the damage and pinpoint the location of the oil leakage. An overflight was also planned.

In addition, four wildlife specialists were headed to Skan Bay to continue to assess the spill's impact. Some birds have been spotted swimming in the oily water, authorities said.

Plans also call for more barriers to be placed in estuaries and streams to absorb the oil. A Coast Guard helicopter is ready to conduct any search and rescue operations.

"We want to see the oil cleaned, but we don't want to see another [search and rescue] case," Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt said Sunday. "Respect Unalaska's weather, because it won't respect you."

The Selendang Ayu was carrying soybeans from Tacoma, Washington, to China when it lost power to its main engine Tuesday. The wreckage remains on Unalaska Island's northern shore, near fertile fisheries and a sea lion habitat.

A Coast Guard helicopter attempting to rescue crew members crashed in rough weather Wednesday, but no Coast Guard personnel were seriously injured.

Searches for the six missing crew members took place Thursday and Friday, despite estimates that a person could have survived only about three hours in the 43-degree water.

The Coast Guard suspended the search Friday night.


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