Text 9. Fishing boat runs aground

13 June, 2001

A fishing boat with six crew on board has run aground off Shetland.

The Peterhead registered Resplendent is stuck on rocks at the north end of the island of Yell.

Shetland coastguard said the boat was carrying 20,000 litres of diesel, which could be a pollution threat.

Another fishing vessel has been unable to tow the stricken vessel clear, and coastguards say no further attempt will be made until high tide.

Weather conditions are reported to be good and the crew are remaining aboard the vessel.

A coastguard team was sent to the scene with a lifeboat from Lerwick and they have reported no obvious damage to the vessel.

A spokesman for Shetland Coastguard said: "Two local fishing vessels arrived to get a tow line to the Resplendent to try and get her back into the water. However this operation was not successful and further action will be held off until high tide this afternoon. The situation is not serious enough to merit any crew members being removed from the vessel, but we will continue to monitor her stability and watertight integrity closely whilst she remains grounded. There is no environmental risk at the moment".

 

Text 10. Cruise ship comes to sailor's aid

14 May, 2005

A luxury cruise liner has come to the aid of a yacht which lost a man overboard during a sailing competition.

The sailor from the 51-foot Grandee fell into the sea in a force seven gale on Saturday off the Dorset coast.

The Aurora and another yacht went to the man's aid but the crew managed to get him back aboard after 10 minutes.

Two other people were injured as yachts racing from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Cherbourg in France were hit by heavy seas in the English Channel.

The coastguard rescue helicopter tried to airlift the man to hospital but this was unsuccessful, and the yacht is now heading for Weymouth, a coastguard spokesman said.

Another yacht, Jeu De Spirite, suffered damage and one crew member has a head injury and she too is heading for Weymouth.

Both yachts were sailing to France in a Royal Ocean Racing Club competition.

The spokesman said that about nine yachts had called for assistance on Saturday, though not all of them were involved in the race.

It is understood that a crew member from one of the yachts has suffered broken ribs.

"Conditions were strong north-easterly winds and rough seas presenting some challenging conditions", said the spokesman.

 

Text 11. Egypt has launched an investigation into a collision in the Suez Canal between a cargo ship and a passenger vessel carrying Muslim pilgrims

Two people were killed and at least 98 people were injured in the incident, near Port Tawfiq, about 130 km (80 miles) east of Cairo. More than 1,400 people were on board the ship, the al-Salam 95.

Egyptian media said the Cypriot cargo vessel made a 5 m hole in its side, flooding the engine room.

At least 12 rescue boats rushed to the scene and were able to ferry the victims to hospital. Ninety eight people were wounded, two of them seriously. Most of them were wounded in the panic that followed.

The passengers, most of whom were Egyptian, had been performing the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The al-Salam 95 had been waiting to enter the port when the two ships collided.

Traffic on the Suez Canal, a major international waterway and Egypt's main source of income was not affected by the incident.

 

TERM 7

UNIT 1. Ecological Disasters

Text 1. 1989: Exxon Valdez creates oil slick disaster

I. Read the text.

An oil tanker has run aground on a reef off the Alaskan coast, releasing gallons of crude oil into the sea.

The Exxon Valdez got into trouble in Prince William Sound when it hit Bligh Reef, splitting its side open and releasing oil, with reports of an eighth-mile (1.61 km) slick.

High winds are affecting attempts to suck the slick from the sea's surface and residents have reported poor air quality as emergency crews tried to burn off the top layer of oil.

Booms, which are acting like necklaces [32] on the surface of the sea to contain the oil, are failing to do the job.

Environmentalists are also battling to save sea ducks [33], which number up to 10 million in the area. Ducks and seals [34] have been found covered with oil near the tanker.

The Coast Guard is dropping chemicals in an attempt to break up the slick.

The ship had encountered icebergs in the shipping lanes and Captain Joe Hazelwood ordered his helmsman to take the Valdez out of the lanes to go around the icebergs.

The crew failed to make the turn back into the shipping lanes and the ship ran aground at 1204 local time. Cpt Hazelwood was in his quarters at the time.

A spokesman for the Alaska department of environment said efforts to steer the Valdez back into the narrow shipping lane was like "trying to park a Cadillac in a Volkswagen spot".

Vocabulary

to create	создавать
to release	выпускать, сбрасывать
slick	пленка (на поверхности воды), пятно (нефтяное)
crude oil	сырая, неочищенная нефть
to split open	пробивать
to suck	откачивать
layer	слой
(oil containment) boom	нефтезадерживающий бон
to contain	останавливать, сдерживать
to encounter	(неожиданно) встретиться (с чем-л.)

II. Comprehension Check

Answer the questions to the text.

1. What ship got into trouble?

2. Why did it happen?

3. What are the aftereffects of the accident?

4. What clean-up measures have been taken? Were they successful?

III. Vocabulary Practice

1. Find an odd word.

a) attempt, effort, effect, try;

b) encounter, meet, run into, reach;

c) release, reduce, discharge, empty;

d) split, break, rip, hit;

e) involve, contain, hold, control;

f) produce, provide, generate, create.

2. Find the words from the text which mean the following:

· someone who lives in a particular place;

· a group of people with special skills working together in an unexpected and dangerous situation;

· to be unsuccessful in an attempt to do something;

· someone who is concerned about protecting the environment;

· an officially approved path of travel that ships must follow;

· housing or accommodation.

Read and translate the sentences in which they are used.

IV. Grammar Review

Rephrase the following sentences using the Gerund:

1.	The tanker has run aground, releasing gallons of crude oil into the sea.
	The tanker released … after…
2.	The Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef splitting its side open.
	The Exxon Valdez split … after…
3.	High winds are affecting attempts to suck the slick from the sea's surface.
	High winds prevent…
4.	Booms are acting like necklaces on the surface of the sea to contain the oil.
	Booms are used for…
5.	The Coast Guard is dropping chemicals in an attempt to break up the slick.
	The Coast Guard is dropping chemicals for…

V. Speech Practice

1. Explain the underlined parts in your own words.

1. Booms used to contain the oil are failing to do the job.

2. Efforts to steer the Valdez back into the narrow shipping lane was like " trying to park a Cadillac in a Volkswagen spot ".

2. Speak about the accident.