Acid Escapes from Tanker Capsized in Hamburg Port
Date: 02-Jul-04
Country: GERMANY
The tanker capsized late on Monday following a collision with a container ship, causing a major pollution concern.
Out of 960 tons of sulphuric acid originally on board the vessel ENA 2, only about 430 tons is still in its cargo tanks, said Werner Marnette, CEO of vessel owner Norddeutsche Affinerie, Europe's largest copper producer.
"We believe today that when the ship capsized, the sulphuric acid escaped through its eight ventilation chambers into the Elbe," Marnette said.
Remaining acid in the ship was considerably diluted by river water three days after the original accident, he said.
Police incident commander Peer Rechenbach said it was a "regrettable mistake" that authorities had until now believed that most of the vessel's cargo was still on board.
Hamburg's city environment agency it did not believe the river Elbe had suffered major environmental damage. But shortly after the accident local television stations showed large numbers of dead fish floating in the water.
Salvage teams with floating cranes were yesterday afternoon still continuing the operation to turn the ship upright so that the remaining acid can be pumped out. The port continues normal operations.
