The bulk carrier Sparna (54,881 dwt, built 2004), which was severely damaged when it ran aground in the Columbia River in Washington state on Monday, has been safely moved to a berth at North Kalama.
The 623-foot vessel, owned by Santoku Senpaku of Japan and operated by K Line, was moved with assistance of two tugboats and with a ship from the National Response Corporation in attendance, on alert for possible polluting spills. The fuel tanks stayed intact during the transit.
There is around 250,000 gallons of fuel in the ship which was only just setting out to the Pacific when it became grounded. No leakage had been spotted as of Thursday.
A 100-yard safety zone was placed around the Sparna while it was being moved.
An inspection by Ballard Marine Construction of Washougal on Tuesday had found multiple fractures of the hull, with the biggest being 25 feet by 5 feet.
The cause of the Sparna’s grounding is being investigated.
