Chemicals tanker sinks off France

The crew of the Ievoli Sun said its hull was holed

RENNES, France -- An Italian tanker carrying 6,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals has sunk in the English Channel.

The Ievoli Sun, whose crew were air-lifted to safety on Monday, foundered about 60 km (40 miles) west of the French port of Cherbourg, a spokesman for the Cherbourg maritime command said.

The stricken tanker, which was being towed to France, was carrying 4,000 tonnes of styrene, a hydrocarbon used for making synthetic plastics, as well as isopropyl and methyl ethyl ketone.

The crew reported a hole in its double hull in heavy weather on Monday and radioed for help. "We hoped the hull would hold out until its arrival in Cherbourg," said Olivier Lajous, a spokesman for France's national maritime service.

"Unfortunately, without a doubt a partition must have broken and the boat filled up. It's in the process of sinking."

A helicopter and rescue tug were sent to the aid of the stricken vessel, but it was unable to reach a French port before sinking.

VIDEO A French tanker carrying chemical products sinks in the English Channel Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Jim Bittermann: "It went down a day after sending out distress signals" 242K/43 sec. WAV sound 472K/43 sec. AIFF sound Francesco Russo of Marnavi Shipping: "We are doing the best we can" 162K/29 sec. WAV sound 316K/29 sec. AIFF sound

CNN's Jim Bittermann said it could take some time to determine the environmental consequence of the accident and what the authorities should do next.

He said styrene is a possible carcinogen that is described as highly irritating to the skin. He added that the impact on sea life is hard to tell, but the fact that the ship went down in a very deep area of the Channel could limit the damage.

Maritime sources said that styrene, which is highly toxic and corrosive, does not dissolve in water and should float to the surface where it could be recovered by pollution-fighting ships.

The 11-year-old ship, owned by Italian company Marnavi, had sailed from the southern English port of Fawley and was reported by Reuters news agency to be heading for the Yugoslav port of Bar.

The spokesman said the water depth was 60 to 80 metres (200 to 260 ft) where the ship sank.

The 114-metre-long (376 ft) tanker was being towed by the French tug Abeille Flandre. It began sinking at 8.30 a.m. (0730 GMT), five hours before it was expected to reach Cherbourg.

The shipwreck happened 10 months after the tanker Erika sank off western France, causing an environmental disaster when thousands of tonnes of heavy fuel washed onto the coast.

France is still reeling from the massive oil spill last December that polluted much of the Atlantic coast's picturesque beaches and craggy coastline.

Fierce gales of up to 150 kph (87-93 mph) swept much of northern France on Monday, killing four people and causing widespread disruption to rail, air and sea travel.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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