U.S. tugboat damages underwater pipeline

CHICAGO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Attorney General of U.S. state of Michigan on Tuesday blamed a local company's tugboat for damaging underwater power cables and an oil pipeline earlier this month.

Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement that he would bring a civil action against VanEnkevort Tug and Barge Inc., whose ship illegally dragged an anchor while sailing in the Straits of Mackinac on April 1.

The waterway connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The anchor allegedly dented an oil pipeline and damaged separate transmission cables. Some 600 gallons (2,271 liters) of mineral coolant fluid leaked from the cables.

"The vessel ignored markers in the channel and clearly identified hazards on navigational charts that make clear that an anchor should not be deployed in this area of straits," said Schuette.

"Allowing a large anchor to drag along the bottomlands in the straits has resulted in violations of state law, and we will hold VanEnkevort accountable," the attorney general added.

The tugboat company faces potential liability for the leak, punishable by a fine of up to 25,000 U.S. dollars a day as well as damages to natural resources and other fees. Enditem