Coast Guard taps 2nd ship as party of interest in oil spill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. Coast Guard investigators say they have identified a second ship suspected of dragging its anchor near an underwater pipeline that later leaked crude oil into the waters off the Southern California coast. The U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement that investigators boarded the BEIJING in the Port of Long Beach on Thursday. The Coast Guard says the owner and operator of the vessel have been designated as parties of interest in the probe of last month’s oil spill. Authorities said the ship was suspected of dragging anchor during severe weather on January 25 near the pipeline. Another ship was also previously designated a party of interest in the incident.