SCIENCE NEWS
December 14, 2004
Oil Spill in Alaska
A wildlife reserve is threatened after a shipwreck spills oil into the sea
 The freighter that spilled oil is called the Selendang Ayu. |
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Last week, a Malaysian ship sank in bad weather in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. About 40,000 gallons of oil for fuel stored on the ship spilled into the Bering Sea. After a weekend of high winds and rain interfered with the oil cleanup, officials welcomed improving weather on Monday.
The 738-foot freighter was carrying a shipment of soy beans from Washington State to China when it ran aground after its engines failed in bad weather. Six crew members are missing.
|  This sea otter was threatened by the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. |
Oil Threatens Animals
The oil spill threatens the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Officials are working to find out how animals in the refuge have been affected. Some are worried for the safety of the animals, especially the endangered species living there, such as the Stellar sea lion and the western Alaska sea otter.
Other animals that inhabit the area include seals and about 40 million birds that nest in the refuge. Officials are also worried about possible damage done to streams where salmon return to spawn each year.
Cleanup Progress
The area where the spill happened can only be reached by water or by air and receives only a few hours of sunlight at this time of year. About 150 people, ships and even aircraft have been sent to the area to help with the cleanup.
Good weather is helping the cleanup and environmental rescue work. "The news is much better than we at first thought," said Jill Owesny, a spokesperson from the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Experts say this oil spill could be the worst to hit Alaska since the Exxon Valdez tanker struck a reef in Prince William Sound in 1989. That spill filled the ocean with more than 10.4 million gallons of oil. Alaska is the nation's leading shipper of oil.
