Specialists Study Oil Tank Spill

PORTLAND, Me.--Pollution specialists from across the country arrived Monday in Portland in a massive effort to clean up the worst oil spillage in ten years on Casco Bay's beaches.

A forward tank of the Norwegian tanker Tamano ruptured on Saturday and 40,000 gallons of industrial fuel spilled into the Bay. The mishap occured when the tanker, attempting to reach an anchorage, struck Soldier's Ledge, which rises to within 40 feet of the surface.

The tanker, owned by the Wilheinsin Corp, of Oslo, was on charter to Texaco, Inc., whose officials announced that the corporation would assume all costs in an effort to speed up the work.

As personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency surveyed affected areas to assess the impact of the spill on fish and wildlife, the beaches of Casco Bay's islands were strewn with hay, as were the affected waters. The hay was expected to absorb much of the oil.

No estimate is available on the costs of the cleanup, and the potential impact on the area's lobster and clam business is unknown.