The following is an extract from today's news story about the HMS
Nottingham. It appears as if there may be a danger from the fuel of the
vessel. Other stories have all emphasised that there is no danger.
Terry Pacey
.........Weather conditions off Lord Howe Island deteriorated yesterday.
The ship's condition was still said to be stable, although heavy winds
prevented a New Zealand Navy tanker from refuelling it.
Lord Howe Island board chairman Murray Carter said there was no immediate
danger of a further oil spill.
Winds were blowing away from the island, carrying leaks offshore and
breaking them up in the choppy water.
Mr Carter defended a decision not to surround the ship with floating oil
booms, saying they would have been ineffective in the heavy seas.
"The only way to disperse diesel in these conditions is allow the wind to
disperse it and with the wind blowing the way it is at the moment, that's
what's happening," Mr Carter said.
However, the island was still preparing for the worst.
An extra planeload of spill-fighting equipment was flown in by RAAF Hercules
yesterday.
"What we're doing is deploying all the equipment on land as a precaution,"
Mr Carter said.
Another RAAF flight will ferry timber and steel beams tomorrow to help shore
up threatened compartments in the ship...........
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