The Nation : Corpus Christi Port Fouled by Oil Spill

A docking tanker ripped an 8-foot gash in its side and dumped 644,700 gallons of crude oil into the ship channel in Corpus Christi, Tex., causing the largest oil spill in the port city’s history, the Coast Guard said. More than 50 people manning vacuum trucks worked to siphon the oil contained within a 2-mile stretch at the end of the ship channel that reaches into Corpus Christi’s inner harbor, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Dave Wilder said. No one was injured, and the Singapore-registered Nord Pacific, which was gashed about a foot above water level, was in no danger of sinking, the Coast Guard said.