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US tug Barbara Foss tows disabled Russian ship away from BC coastline

A large tug boat arrived Saturday night to hook onto a Russian cargo shift adrift off the British Columbia coast, calming fears that the ship might drift ashore and cause an environmental disaster. Lt. Paul Pendergast of the Canadian Forces' Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the Barbara Foss arrived shortly after 5 p.m. local time, and was securing a line to the Simushir. "When they get the vessel under tow, they'll first head in a northwesterly direction and get it further from the coastline and eventually into more sheltered waters to the north of Haida Gwaii,'' Pendergast said. "Then a decision will be made on where to take it.'' The ship was adrift again for several hours Saturday after a tow line tethering the vessel to a Canadian Coast Guard ship snapped. Lt. Greg Menzies of the rescue co-ordination centre said earlier that the crew members were in no danger. "Right now all 10 crew members are on board,'' he said. "There's been no request for evacuation.'' Two Canadian and one American coast guard ships were also on scene and three helicopters were on stand-by at the closest airport, he said. The Simushir lost power Thursday night in rough seas west of the Haida Gwaii archipelago, off **>B.C.<**'s northern coast. There were immediate concerns it could drift ashore, break apart and spill hundreds of tonnes of bunker and diesel fuelling the vessel, creating an environmental disaster. Before the line broke, the Simushir had been towed about 45 kilometres away from the western shore of Haida Gwaii. Crew members attempted to repair a broken oil heater that left the vessel without power. "They were not able to effect the repairs,'' Pendergast said. The ship, registered in Kholmsk, Russia and owned by Russian shipping firm SASCO, was en route from Washington state to Russia, laden with containers of solvents and mining equipment. The ship's captain was flown on Friday to Sandspit, on Haida Gwaii, for medical care. Officials said they could not release any information about his condition. Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/boat+arrives+disabled+Russian+ship+away+from+coastline/10299159/story.html#ixzz3GZ9Sv5M1