Greek maritime officials were scrambling to contain as much as 100 tons of oil, nearly a week after a cruise ship sank off the popular island of Santorini, according to local officials. "The oil is continuing to leak from the vessel. ... The situation is being contained in the present conditions," said Vassilis Mamaloukas, who is leading the cleanup operation for private Greek contractor Environmental Protection Engineering SA. The Sea Diamond was carrying 1,156 passengers, mostly Americans, and 391 crew members and was trying to dock at Santorini's port when it slammed into a volcanic reef last Thursday and sank 15 hours later. An unmanned submersible was deployed Tuesday as the first step toward emptying the cruise ship's fuel tanks. The submersible also was expected to check for the bodies of two missing French nationals believed to have drowned, and search for the vessel's voyage data recorder, the Merchant Marine Ministry said Tuesday. "Our priority is to pump the oil from the source of the leak, because it is difficult to control oil from a leak from such a depth," Mamaloukas said. "If the weather conditions are not favorable, we may lose that control." The Greek-flagged Sea Diamond is lying on its starboard side at a depth of about 320 feet (97.5 meters) in a sea-filled crater created by a volcanic eruption 3,200 years ago, maritime experts said. The submarine will photograph the vessel's position and determine its stability before Navy divers enter the wreck, Merchant Marine Ministry officials were quoted as saying by CNN.
