As Texans flee from Hurricane Ike, the 22 people aboard the Antalina have nowhere to run. Their freight ship carrying petroleum coke lost propulsion 90 miles southeast of Galveston and is getting battered by Ike’s powerful winds.
The Antalina is a 584-foot boat that was caught in Ike’s grasp while adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. They sent out a distress call to the Coast Guard who began to respond to their situation early this morning.
The Antalina is originally from Cyprus and has a cargo of petroleum coke which is a byproduct of traditional petroleum. The Coast Guard says they cannot fly helicopters in close enough to rescue the men because of Ike’s strong wind gusts. Even if they could rescue the sailors, that would mean that the Antalina and it’s cargo of petroleum coke would drift at sea, creating a possible safety and environmental hazard.
Source: CNN