Container Ship Drifts Off Coast After Towline Snaps In Storm

The Hyundai Seattle, a 797-foot-long container ship that was set adrift in heavy seas near the Aleutian Islands last month, was again in trouble last night off the Washington coast.

An ocean-going tugboat was towing the crippled ship toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca yesterday afternoon in a heavy storm when a towline snapped about 60 miles west of Cape Flattery, according to the Coast Guard.

The recoiling steel cable hit the chief mate on the tug Smit Singapore, cutting his leg and breaking his collarbone. He was airlifted to a hospital in Victoria, B.C., and reported in stable condition.

Last night, the ship was adrift in very heavy seas and high winds, slowly moving in a southeasterly direction, said Petty Officer Brady Tubb in Seattle. He said the tugboat crew hoped to reattach the tow line this morning in calmer seas.

The Greek-flagged container ship was disabled on Dec. 9 when a fire broke out in the engine room about 550 miles south of Adak in the Aleutians. None of the 27 crew members were injured and they were evacuated by helicopter three days later.