AmericasOperationsTankers

MOL chemical tanker runs aground on Columbia River in Washington

A chemical tanker owned by Japan’s MOL Chemical Tankers ran aground on the Columbia River near Skamokawa in Washington state on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

The 2009-built Argent Cosmos was carrying large tonnages of ethanol (1.63m gallons), monoethylene glycol (6.65m gallons), 458,074 gallons of high-sulfur oil and 99,064 gallons of low-sulfur oil.

It ran into difficulty when it lost the use of a fuel pump and subsequently grounded when heading out from a call at Port Westward.

A US Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter from Sector Columbia River overview reported no obvious signs of pollution from the ship but inspectors will monitor the environment in more detail.

No personal injuries were reported from the incident.

The vessel was refloated with the tide and with two towboats on hand. It was headed to the Port of Longview.

Donal Scully

With 28 years experience writing and editing for newspapers in the UK and Hong Kong, Donal is now based in California from where he covers the Americas for Splash as well as ensuring the site is loaded through the Western Hemisphere timezone.
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