Nando Times

Empty oil tanker sinks off South Korean coast; 3 dead

The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (January 15, 2001 8:32 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - An empty oil tanker exploded Monday and sank off the coast of South Korea, killing three crew members, maritime police said.

Six others were missing and seven had been rescued after the 5,000-ton P-Harmony went down 30 miles south of Pusan, South Korea's largest port, officials said.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation. Phil Ocean, a Seoul-based company that manages the ship, said the tanker was empty when it sank, but may have leaked some oil. Cleanup operations were under way.

The ship had unloaded fuel oil at Ulsan, 15 miles northeast of Pusan, the company said.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), January 15, 2001

Answers

Ah, yes, the world's aging fleet of oil tankers is showing signs of wear and tear.

-- Billiver (billiver@aol.com), January 15, 2001.