Sinking oil tanker closes Rotterdam port

a giant oil tanker carrying 121,000 tons of light crude split in half and and sank at a jetty here Tuesday, spilling 10 tons of oil and forcing the world's largest port to temporarily close. The 43-man crew of the Liberian-registered Energy Concentration escaped unharmed. The 98,000-ton ship was owned by United Petroleum Carriers Inc. of Hong Kong.

Inflatable plastic booms were in position to control possible pollution. There was no immediate danger to the surrounding area, which is among the most populous in the Netherlands.

A harbour spokesman said the ship split because the center tasks were unloaded before the fore and aft tanks, putting too much weight on the ends of the 1,069-foot tanker.