Injury delays
work on ship

Efforts to remove cargo
from a stuck vessel continue

Work on freeing the cargo ship Cape Flattery from a reef off Barbers Point was delayed yesterday after a salvage crew member injured his leg about 9:30 a.m.

"We don't know exactly what happened, but we know he was injured seriously enough to be taken off the barge, taken to shore and given medical attention," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Brooksann Anderson. The injury wasn't life-threatening, but it did halt removal of bulk cement from the ship until about 2:30 p.m., she said.

A tugboat assisting with the operation also broke a line yesterday, requiring repair, Anderson said.

The 555-foot vessel went aground last Wednesday about 400 yards off Barbers Point.

Weather conditions permitting, salvage workers hired by Pacific Basin Shipping HK Ltd. will work through the night removing cement, the ship's only cargo, until it can float again, Anderson said. How long that will take depends on conditions, she said.

Salvage planners estimated yesterday that about one-fourth of the ship's load of 27,100 metric tons of cement will have to be removed to refloat it, Anderson said. Of the 6,450 metric tons of cement to be removed, 1,582 tons had been removed by 8 a.m. yesterday by two barges and two cranes.

"They're moving as rapidly as safety permits," Anderson said.