The State : Valdez Takes More Damage

Rough seas have caused further damage to the tanker Exxon Valdez, which continues to leak small amounts of an unidentified substance into the ocean off San Diego, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Heavy seas bent back three more steel plates from the tanker’s bottom, bringing the total to nine, Coast Guard Lt. Ed Bass said. The jagged steel plates hanging from the tanker’s bottom make its draft too deep for San Diego’s port where the Valdez was being towed for repairs. The Exxon tanker, which caused the worst oil spill ever in the United States when it ran aground in Alaska in March, has been towed to calmer waters about 20 miles off San Clemente Island, Bass said. Despite the new damage, the vessel is still structurally sound, an Exxon spokeswoman said.