U.S. Tanker And Freighter Collide Off Oregon Coast

ASTORIA, Ore. - A Chinese grain freighter collided with a U.S. oil tanker early this morning off the coast, significantly damaging both vessels, but the U.S. Coast Guard says there were neither injuries nor oil spills.

The 309-foot tank barge Cascades was carrying 2.5 million gallons of oil, the 636-foot freighter Tian Tan Hai a cargo of grain. The collision ripped a gash 72 feet long in the tanker and an 8-foot hole in the forward void space of the barge, which kept any oil from leaking out.

The collision occurred about 2:50 a.m. 30 miles west of the mouth of the Columbia River at about 2:50 a.m. Visibility along the coast was 200 feet, the Coast Guard said.