Surveying Ships Sunk Off North Carolina In World War II

NOAA will lead a three-week research expedition in August to study World War II shipwrecks sunk in 1942 off the coast of North Carolina during the Battle of the Atlantic. The shipwrecks are located in an area known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," which includes sunken vessels from U.S. and British naval fleets, merchant ships, and German U-boats.

"The information collected during this expedition will help us better understand and document this often lost chapter of America's maritime history and its significance to the nation," said David W. Alberg, expedition leader and superintendent of the USS Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. "It continues the work conducted by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries last summer to research and document historically significant shipwrecks tragically lost during World War II."
Alberg said the expedition, which happens August 4-24, will also help document the condition of these vessels some 67 years after they were lost. Understanding the wrecks' current condition is a crucial first step in establishing efforts to preserve these historic sites, which serve as "time capsules from one of the darkest times in the nation's history," he said.
This year's project will be divided into two phases. Phase one of the expedition will be conducted aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. Using advanced remote sensing technologies, including sidescan and multibeam sonar systems, researchers will attempt to locate several previously undiscovered WWII shipwrecks. NOAA and its expedition partners from the University of North Carolina will also deploy an advanced remotely operated vehicle to take high-definition imagery of these shipwrecks.
During the second phase, NOAA divers and partners will survey and photograph visible sections of a British armed trawler, HMT Bedfordshire, using non-invasive methods. Bedfordshire was sunk by a torpedo fired from the German submarine U-558 on May 12, 1942, resulting in the loss of the entire crew. The survey team will also study marine life found at the site which now serves as a vibrant artificial reef. Consistent with U.S. and international policy, the shipwreck site is considered a war grave and will not be disturbed during the expedition.
Many of the WWII wrecks off North Carolina, some lying as shallow as 130 feet, serve as popular recreational dive sites and are visited by thousands of divers each year. Unfortunately, some of these wrecks have been severely impacted over the years by human activity. Both NOAA and the recreational diving community promote open access to the shipwrecks and encourage responsible dive behavior and preservation of underwater resources.
Through this expedition, NOAA hopes to highlight our shared maritime history and demonstrate the importance of preserving these shipwrecks for the study and enjoyment of future generations of divers and for all Americans.
In consultation with the British and German governments, NOAA is conducting this expedition survey with technical expertise and logistical support from the Minerals Management Service, the National Park Service, the State of North Carolina, and East Carolina University. The University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the Georgia Aquarium, and The Mariners' Museum are also providing support.
Adapted from materials provided by National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration.

Pilot of ship in San Francisco spill pleads guilty

The pilot of a cargo ship that slammed into the San Francisco Bay Bridge in 2007, resulting in a massive oil spill that killed more than 2,000 birds, has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors.Under the deal, Cosco Busan pilot John Cota would serve up to 10 months in prison and be fined up to 30,000 for two violations of environmental law.The accident sent more than 53,000 gallons (200,000 liters) of fuel gushing into San Francisco Bay and polluted miles of pristine coastline.Judge Susan Illston, who still has to accept terms of the plea deal, set sentencing for June 19.Cota pleaded guilty to polluting San Francisco Bay and to killing birds as part of a deal with prosecutors to drop charges that he lied on medical forms. Cota, who has 26 years of experience as a pilot operating in San Francisco Bay, acknowledged that he failed to disclose he was taking a series of drugs -- including anti-depressants and pain relievers -- that might have impaired his ability to pilot the 901-foot (275-meter) container ship."Today's guilty plea is a reminder that the Cosco Busan crash was not just an accident, but a criminal act," said John Cruden of the US Justice Department.The ship's owner, Hong Kong-based Fleet Management Ltd., has pleaded not guilty to charges in the crash and faces a September 14 trial.Fleet is charged with negligence, as well as obstructing justice and making false statements by allegedly falsifying ship records.The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report last month that also blamed US Coast Guard officers for their role in the spill.NTSB member Debbie Hersman said the Coast Guard saw the ship was headed toward the bridge but never ordered Cota to change course.Hersman also said the Coast Guard should have urged or ordered the ship to stay in port. Heavy fog was limiting visibility to less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in some areas at the time of the November 2007 crash.

Right whale rule sinks cruise ship visit

One of two large cruise ships that was expected to bring thousands of passengers to the Midcoast in June has dropped its plans because of a federal right whale regulation. The Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas announced to local officials Friday night that its Rockland port stop had been canceled. The 916-foot-long cruise ship can carry 2,446 passengers with a crew of 760.In its announcement, the company cited the federal restriction that limits vessels to no greater than 10 knots (11.5 miles) per hour in seasonal management areas imposed to protect the North Atlantic right whale. That protective area extends off Cape Cod and the cruise ship would have passed through it on the trip to Rockland.The average cruising speed for the Grandeur of the Seas is 22 knots.The seasonal management area restriction runs from March 1 through July 31.The restriction is not expected to have any impact on the still scheduled arrival of the other Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Jewel of the Seas, which is scheduled to make a port call in Rockland on Oct. 4. The Jewel of the Seas is larger than the Grandeur at 962 feet long. The vessel can carry 2,501 passengers and a crew of 852."This was scheduled to be the inaugural visit for Rockland, so of course we are disappointed," said Frank Isganitis, chairman of the chamber's Cruise Committee. "However, the circumstances are completely beyond our control." "While we feel it's unfortunate for the communities of the Midcoast to lose this opportunity, we understand and value the need to protect the right whale population," said Amy Powers, director of the Cruise Maine Coalition. "We hope that Royal Caribbean will be able to adjust their sailing itineraries moving forward to include the transit time modification needed to abide by this new law and still be able to enjoy Rockland and our surrounding communities as a port of call."Dan Bookham, the executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce, said it was disappointing news but the business community will move forward and continue to try to attract cruise ships. The community also is pleased that it has the weekly summer visits of the smaller American Cruise Line ships."There are some things out of our control," Bookham said about the speed restriction that led Royal Caribbean to cancel the Grandeur of the Seas visit.The projected number of visitors to downtown Camden would have been 1,000 to 1,200 people, he said."That would have been a big day, an enjoyable day," he said.Local businesses in Rockland and Camden had been planning ways to greet and accommodate what was to be one of the largest influxes of tourists for a single day.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only approximately 350 northern right whales exist despite more than 60 years of protection. The whales had been hunted for at least 800 years, according to NOAA. There are only five areas where these whales are believed to congregate and two are in the vicinity of Cape Cod.Ship strikes are considered one of the great risks for northern right whales. These whales swim slowly and tend to stay near the ocean's surface.NOAA announced the speed restriction on Dec. 9. According to NOAA, 25 of 71 of the deaths of these whales were due to being struck by a ship.By Stephen Betts The Herald Gazette Associate Editor

Shipwrecks On Coral Reefs Harbor Unwanted Species

Shipwrecks on coral reefs may increase invasion of unwanted species, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study. These unwanted species can completely overtake the reef and eliminate all the native coral, dramatically decreasing the diversity of marine organisms on the reef. This study documents for the first time that a rapid change in the dominant biota on a coral reef is unambiguously associated with man-made structures.

The findings of the study suggest that removal of these structures sooner rather than later is key to keeping reefs healthy.
In many areas of the world, coral reef health is declining, but identifying the exact cause of the problem is difficult. Overgrowth of coral reefs by other species, such as algae, are usually attributed to environmental degradation, but bleaching, disease, damage by typhoons, overfishing, coastal development, pollution, and tourism can cause problems as well.
The study was conducted at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the central Pacific, a relatively remote, comparatively pristine area where little human activity has occurred since WWII. In 1991, a 100-foot vessel shipwrecked on the atoll. Scientists first surveyed the area in 2004 and found a species called Rhodactis howesii —an organism related to sea anemones and corals—in low abundance around the wreck. In subsequent years, however, populations of this organism increased exponentially. Scientists documented extremely high densities of R. howesii that progressively decreased with distance from the ship, whereas R. howesii were rare to absent in other parts of the atoll. They also confirmed high densities of R. howesii around several buoys.
Whether this phenomenon occurs on other coral atolls is unknown; however, in the case of Palmyra, the R. howesii infestation is beginning to reach catastrophic proportions, according to Dr. Thierry Work, the lead author of the study and a scientist at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Honolulu Field Station. Within a few years, R. howesii spread to where it now occupies nearly 1 square mile.
"Why this phenomenon is occurring remains a mystery," said Work. One possibility, he said, is that iron leaching from the ship and mooring buoy chains, accompanied with other environmental factors particular to Palmyra atoll, are somehow promoting the growth of Rhodactis.
"Given the ability of Rhodactis sp. to rapidly reproduce and completely smother reefs, managers are now facing the possibility that even with removal of the ship, sheer reproductive capacity of R. howesii may continue to fuel its spread along the western reef shelf of Palmyra," Work said.
Understanding what constitutes a healthy underwater ecosystem, as well as what does not, is crucial to preventing further losses in species and habitat. This research illustrates a little-known problem that, unlike global warming and pollution, could be prevented by removing man-made debris such as shipwrecks from coral reefs before organisms like Rhodactis howesii can overtake healthy coral reefs.
Journal reference:
Work et al. Phase Shift from a Coral to a Corallimorph-Dominated Reef Associated with a Shipwreck on Palmyra Atoll. PLoS One, 2008; 3 (8): e2989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002989
Adapted from materials provided by Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Microbial Stowaways: Are Ships Spreading Disease?

Ships are inadvertently carrying trillions of stowaways in the water held in their ballast tanks. When the water is pumped out, invasive species could be released into new environments. Disease-causing microbes could also be released, posing a risk to public health, according to an article in the May issue of Microbiology Today.

"There is no romantic adventure or skullduggery at work here," said Professor Fred Dobbs from Old Dominion University, Virginia. Ships pump water in and out of ballast tanks to adjust the waterline and compensate for cargo loading, making the ship run as efficiently as possible. These tanks can hold thousands of tonnes of water. "Any organisms in the water are likely to be released when it is next pumped out."
Many non-native animals and plants have been taken to new environments and become invasive, threatening the survival of local species; some fundamentally alter the ecosystem. Zebra mussels were introduced in North America and the comb jelly in the Black Sea and both have had enormous ecological and economic impacts
For more than 20 years we have known that a variety of large phytoplankton and protozoa are transported in this way, but we know very little about smaller microbes like bacteria and viruses. "It is inevitable that hundreds of trillions of micro-organisms enter a single ship's ballast tank during normal operations," said Professor Dobbs. The majority of these microbes are harmless, but some are a potential risk to public health.
"Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera in humans, can be carried in ballast tanks," said Professor Dobbs. "There have been no known outbreaks of disease associated with ballasting activities, but the water is only sampled very rarely." Other disease-causing microbes in the tanks include Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis, which cause stomach upsets.
Some people say microbes are present everywhere; they may be easily dispersed because they are so small. However, many experts believe micro-organisms have a "biogeography", a natural home, which means they could become invasive if moved and have a negative effect on different environments. There is some evidence for this argument: two phytoplankton species called diatoms were introduced to the English Channel from the North Pacific Ocean.
The International Maritime Organisation, which sets rules and standards for the global shipping industry, has proposed an upper limit to the numbers of Vibrio cholerae, E. coli, and intestinal enterococci contained in discharged ballast water. A few ships are also using different treatments to reduce and even eliminate the microbes in their ballast water. "A number of techniques are being looked at for this purpose, from filtration to biocides, ultrasound to ultraviolet irradiation," said Professor Dobbs. "Our understanding of the issues involved will increase as more studies are carried out, particularly those employing the tools of modern molecular biology."
Adapted from materials provided by Society for General Microbiology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Devastation from Oil Spills Reaches Far Beyond Shores of San Francisco Bay

On the morning of Nov. 7, San Francisco Bay became the unfortunate dumping ground for 58,000 gallons of oil, gushing from the hull of a cargo ship that ran into the Bay Bridge. The oil slicks and greasy balls of tar can now be found along 64 miles of California’s shorelines—and on the feathers of birds, the fur of seals and the scales of fish, which then become poisonous traps for any animal eating them. At last count, Oiled Wildlife Care Network has taken in their facilities 1,394 seabirds—804 alive when recovered, 590 dead. But according to University of California at Davis’ Jonna Mazet, an expert on the treatment of oiled wildlife, for every oiled seabird found washed ashore, 10 to 100 more die at sea. As to the other marine animals, one sick harbor seal has been taken in at this time and the actual numbers of marine wildlife devastated by this may never be known.
This past weekend our legacy of polluting our waters with this deadly substance continued near Russia। A storm wrecked several ships, including an oil tanker that spread its poisonous cargo throughout the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. Upwards of a half million gallons of fuel have already killed thousands of birds and countless other marine fish and wildlife.

Sadly, only through such spills does the issue of how oil devastates our marine environments seem to rise to the surface. After these tragic events begin to fade from our immediate memories, however, the oil’s damage will last much longer. And because we see the dying seabirds first, we also fail to remember that they are just the tip of the iceberg as to how oil can poison an entire marine ecosystem.
Charles “Pete” Peterson, a marine scientist with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has spent the last 20 years analyzing scientific data gathered from marine ecosystems after oil spills, including the famed Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska’s coast। Or as he puts it, “I synthesize what everybody else gets dirty doing.”

Peterson explained that because, for the most part, oil floats on water, animals such as seabirds that swim or forage on the water’s surface, and sea turtles and marine mammals that must come from below to the surface to breathe are repeatedly exposed to the contaminant। Seabirds and furred marine mammals are particularly at risk because they depend upon their feathers and fur to provide insulation. If oil mats the feathers and fur to their bodies, they no longer can serve as adequate insulation and the animals can die from hypothermia. If the oil is particularly dense, seabirds and mammals can also inhale toxic fumes. An estimated 2,800 sea otters and 300 harbor seals died from the Exxon Valdez spill.

But the devastation from oil spills can go much deeper than what happens on the surface। Environments that can become most contaminated are shallow areas where oil can penetrate into sediments, such as the coral reefs in the Kerch Strait. In the case of San Francisco’s spill, severe wave action may mix the toxic oil throughout the water column and extend to bottom-dwelling species such as the Bay’s highly valued Dungeness crabs, clams, mussels and burrowing ghost shrimps, which are important prey for fish. Sea otters that feed off contaminated prey like mussels and clams could be also poisoned.

In addition, the oil’s effects are not confined to the ocean or its shores, and they can last for decades. The oil has spread into nearby salt marshes. If it penetrates the mud where sunlight and oxygen cannot reach, it can take a long time to degrade. This could present “tremendous long-term problems,” says Peterson. He studied an oil spill that happened nearly 40 years ago near the village of Buzzard’s Bay, Mass., that contaminated its Wild Harbor’s sediments, killing its plants and fiddler crabs. “That marsh has still not recovered. Oil is still detectable centimeters below the surface.” The San Francisco oil spill could be devastating to the many threatened and endangered species that are endemic to the area’s salt marshes.
Evidently the dominoes in San Francisco Bay and the Black Sea are just beginning to fall।

Several of California’s beaches are now closed, even as eager volunteers are trying desperately to help clean up what oil they can। SeaWeb’s Managing Director Hollis Hope drove to an ocean beach about 15 miles south of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge last Friday to witness the spill’s far-reaching effects firsthand. She could feel the oil clumping the sand beneath her feet as she walked and the smell of oil hung in the air. Around her, a dozen young volunteers with garbage bags tried to collect balls of tar from the infested shoreline. She applauded their efforts, but as she described it, “It was like trying to pick up individual pieces of sand.”

What this horrifying, tragic accident has also brought to the surface is the united passion of individuals to preserve our marine environments. Each person who has taken a step to help in this cleanup effort is making a difference, not just in addressing this assault on this part of the Pacific but in encouraging others to tackle problems throughout our world’s ocean. We must remember that no matter how minimal our individual actions might seem when faced with the enormity of a problem like this, they are part of a rising tide. And we know that a rising tide lifts all boats. When combined, our efforts can and do make a difference.One can’t help be lifted by the sight of hundreds of volunteers, true leading voices for our ocean, combing our coasts to help clean them, even if it is a grain of sand at a time. — Dawn Martin

Devastation from Oil Spills Reaches Far Beyond Shores of San Francisco Bay

On the morning of Nov. 7, San Francisco Bay became the unfortunate dumping ground for 58,000 gallons of oil, gushing from the hull of a cargo ship that ran into the Bay Bridge. The oil slicks and greasy balls of tar can now be found along 64 miles of California’s shorelines—and on the feathers of birds, the fur of seals and the scales of fish, which then become poisonous traps for any animal eating them. At last count, Oiled Wildlife Care Network has taken in their facilities 1,394 seabirds—804 alive when recovered, 590 dead. But according to University of California at Davis’ Jonna Mazet, an expert on the treatment of oiled wildlife, for every oiled seabird found washed ashore, 10 to 100 more die at sea. As to the other marine animals, one sick harbor seal has been taken in at this time and the actual numbers of marine wildlife devastated by this may never be known.
This past weekend our legacy of polluting our waters with this deadly substance continued near Russia। A storm wrecked several ships, including an oil tanker that spread its poisonous cargo throughout the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. Upwards of a half million gallons of fuel have already killed thousands of birds and countless other marine fish and wildlife.

Sadly, only through such spills does the issue of how oil devastates our marine environments seem to rise to the surface. After these tragic events begin to fade from our immediate memories, however, the oil’s damage will last much longer. And because we see the dying seabirds first, we also fail to remember that they are just the tip of the iceberg as to how oil can poison an entire marine ecosystem.
Charles “Pete” Peterson, a marine scientist with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has spent the last 20 years analyzing scientific data gathered from marine ecosystems after oil spills, including the famed Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska’s coast। Or as he puts it, “I synthesize what everybody else gets dirty doing.”

Peterson explained that because, for the most part, oil floats on water, animals such as seabirds that swim or forage on the water’s surface, and sea turtles and marine mammals that must come from below to the surface to breathe are repeatedly exposed to the contaminant। Seabirds and furred marine mammals are particularly at risk because they depend upon their feathers and fur to provide insulation. If oil mats the feathers and fur to their bodies, they no longer can serve as adequate insulation and the animals can die from hypothermia. If the oil is particularly dense, seabirds and mammals can also inhale toxic fumes. An estimated 2,800 sea otters and 300 harbor seals died from the Exxon Valdez spill.

But the devastation from oil spills can go much deeper than what happens on the surface। Environments that can become most contaminated are shallow areas where oil can penetrate into sediments, such as the coral reefs in the Kerch Strait. In the case of San Francisco’s spill, severe wave action may mix the toxic oil throughout the water column and extend to bottom-dwelling species such as the Bay’s highly valued Dungeness crabs, clams, mussels and burrowing ghost shrimps, which are important prey for fish. Sea otters that feed off contaminated prey like mussels and clams could be also poisoned.

In addition, the oil’s effects are not confined to the ocean or its shores, and they can last for decades. The oil has spread into nearby salt marshes. If it penetrates the mud where sunlight and oxygen cannot reach, it can take a long time to degrade. This could present “tremendous long-term problems,” says Peterson. He studied an oil spill that happened nearly 40 years ago near the village of Buzzard’s Bay, Mass., that contaminated its Wild Harbor’s sediments, killing its plants and fiddler crabs. “That marsh has still not recovered. Oil is still detectable centimeters below the surface.” The San Francisco oil spill could be devastating to the many threatened and endangered species that are endemic to the area’s salt marshes.
Evidently the dominoes in San Francisco Bay and the Black Sea are just beginning to fall।

Several of California’s beaches are now closed, even as eager volunteers are trying desperately to help clean up what oil they can। SeaWeb’s Managing Director Hollis Hope drove to an ocean beach about 15 miles south of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge last Friday to witness the spill’s far-reaching effects firsthand. She could feel the oil clumping the sand beneath her feet as she walked and the smell of oil hung in the air. Around her, a dozen young volunteers with garbage bags tried to collect balls of tar from the infested shoreline. She applauded their efforts, but as she described it, “It was like trying to pick up individual pieces of sand.”

What this horrifying, tragic accident has also brought to the surface is the united passion of individuals to preserve our marine environments. Each person who has taken a step to help in this cleanup effort is making a difference, not just in addressing this assault on this part of the Pacific but in encouraging others to tackle problems throughout our world’s ocean. We must remember that no matter how minimal our individual actions might seem when faced with the enormity of a problem like this, they are part of a rising tide. And we know that a rising tide lifts all boats. When combined, our efforts can and do make a difference.One can’t help be lifted by the sight of hundreds of volunteers, true leading voices for our ocean, combing our coasts to help clean them, even if it is a grain of sand at a time. — Dawn Martin

Sunken Antarctic ship spill threatens penguins

About 2,500 penguins en route to their Antarctic mating grounds could be sickened by a diesel fuel spill from a cruise boat that struck an iceberg and sank last week, Chilean scientists said Friday.Areas surrounding the mile-long spill site include breeding grounds for Antarctic and Adelia penguins, and the largest mating colony for Papua penguins, said Maria Jose Rosello, a Chilean marine biologist."The danger is that this fuel spill will impede the journey that species like Papua penguins make at this time of year," Rosello said.Veronica Vallejos, director of the scientific department at the Chilean Antarctic Institute, said the spill could also affect other Antarctic fauna, including sea lions, seals and sea birds as well as fish, krill, algae and plankton colonies — key elements of the Antarctic food chain."There's always environmental danger when fuel leaks, and even more so in a zone with high biodiversity," Vallegos said.

Fuel Spill Closes San Francisco Beaches

SAN FRANCISCO - A container ship bound for China struck a fog-shrouded tower of San Francisco's Bay Bridge on Wednesday morning, causing a fuel spill and forcing the closure of several San Francisco beaches, officials said.
People near the spill reported suffering headaches and nausea as they breathed air containing vaporized oil, but public health officials said the fumes were not likely to have long-term health effects.
Four picturesque beaches on both sides of the landmark Golden Gate Bridge -- Baker, Fort Point, China, and Crissy Field -- were closed, according to the US Coast Guard.
"There is a sheen in the water. It is bunker fuel," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Kevin Neff about oil used to propel the ship.
As of Wednesday evening, investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the accident and how much fuel had spilled into the bay. Early reports had described the leak as 3-feet (1-metre) wide.
Wil Bruhns, supervising engineer of San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, said the oil could pose a threat to wildlife like seals, fish and birds.
"Bunker fuel oil tends to be rather heavy, and it doesn't float as well as other oil. It's harder to contain," Bruhns said.
The Cosco Busan, a China COSCO Holdings Co Ltd vessel, left the Port of Oakland at 6:31 a.m. on Wednesday and about two hours later hit a fender around a support tower on an especially foggy morning.
Transportation officials said part of the fender would need to be replaced, but said the incident did not damage the bridge and traffic continued to flow.
The Bay Bridge is a vital transportation link between San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. Ships heading into the Pacific Ocean travel under the Bay Bridge and then the Golden Gate Bridge before reaching the high seas. (Additional reporting by Adam Tanner)
Story by Amanda Beck
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

10km oil spill as ship sinks in Swedish storm

10km oil spill as ship sinks in Swedish storm (8 November 2006)

Oil leaking from a cargo ship which went down in bad weather has created a
slick some ten kilometres long of the Swedish coastline.

The roll-on, roll-off freighter, the Finnbirch was on its way to Aarhus in
Denmark from Helsinki last Wednesday when crew radioed for help saying the
ship was taking on water in high seas.

The 8,500 tonne ship was carrying around 250 tonnes of heavy oil and a
further 10 tonnes of machine oil when it sank and while all but one of the
crew were rescued, the bad weather hindered an assessment of the potential
environmental damage at the time of the accident.

How much oil escapes from the ship will be determined by how badly damaged
it was when it sunk and an assessment has so far been impossible.

Subsequent air reconnaissance by both the German and Finnish coast guard
have identified an oil slick up to ten kilometres long and 400m wide
trailing from the wreck.

Full story at http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=12232&channel=0