Ocean Eagle; San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1968-Mar-03

Initial Notification: On the morning of March 3, 1968, the tanker Ocean Eagle grounded in the harbor of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The vessel broke in two several hours after the grounding, spilling Venezuelan light crude oil into the harbor. The aft section of the vessel drifted farther into the harbor and grounded, while the forward section was anchored in place. Three days later, U. S. Navy tugs tried to tow the forward section out of the harbor. Adverse weather hindered the operation, and eventually drove the forward section farther into the harbor. On March 10, the forward section broke open in heavy seas and released more oil into the water. By the first week of April, both parts of the tanker were lightered and towed out to sea where they were sunk. USCG district 7. Keyword: Sorbents, manual removal, emsulfier, sinking..