Greasy cheesesteaks, greasy water
Authorities near Philadelphia battled to contain an oil slick after a Cyprus-flagged tanker on its way to a Citgo refinery spilled 30,000 gallons (114,000 liters) of crude into a nearby river, the US Coast Guard said.

The Athos I began leaking late Friday, as it pumped oil from one tank to another and found that crude had leaked into the ship's ballast water, Petty Officer John Edwards said.

"It's in the Delaware River and we're trying to contain it from getting into any of the smaller waterways," he told a CHL representative.

"We've laid out thousands of feet of (absorbent, floating) boom to minimize the impact on the environment," he added, bursting into wild laughter.

When asked what he thought was funny he said, "C'mon, this is the Delaware, nobody's going to notice some oil in this cruddy water!"

The Coast Guard is investigating how the oil was released, Edwards said, quickly adding, "I may have been at the helm, but I wasn't drunk!"

The Delaware River flows by Philadelphia and forms the border between Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey -- an area that is home to many oil refineries -- before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Athos I is owned by Frescati Shipping Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of CHL, Inc.

- Owen, 1:59 PM | |