The Emergency Response Headquarters told that there was a new oil slick off the coast of Sakhalin (Russian Far East).

Monday, March 20, 2023

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The oil came from the ruptured tanks of the Cristoforo Colombo, a Belgian ship. The minor spill near Kholmsk was quickly cleaned up, the source said. The Cristoforo Colombo ran aground on rocks 50m from the coast of Kholmsk, a port city, when the Songda typhoon hit Sakhalin on September 8. About 200 metric tons of fuel oil and diesel spilt from the specialized craft's damaged tanks into the sea and on the shore. The regional environmental prosecutor filed a criminal case against the captain for polluting the maritime environment. The lawyers of Nicolas Verbraeken, the captain of the Cristoforo Colombo, filed an appeal against the prosecutor's decision o to file a criminal case in the Kholmsk city court, the regional Prosecutor's Office told RIA Novosti Monday. The Kholmsk court rejected the appeal, a source said. The captain's lawyers have now appealed the city court's decision in the Sakhalin Regional court. The appeal will be considered this week. Meanwhile, the inter-district environmental Prosecutor's Office is continuing its investigation, which began on September 14. All documents seized from the craft and the port's services about the moment when the ship ran aground are being inspected. The causes of the captain's disregard for the storm warning, which was timely given to him by the port services are being verified particularly thoroughly. The oil spill covered a 6km portion of the coast of Kholmsk, and about 40 residents of the town went to the hospital and were diagnosed with mild poisoning from evaporated fuel. According to preliminary estimates, Russia suffered more than 57 million rubles (about $2 million) in damages because of the spill.

Bookmark The Emergency Response Headquarters told that there was a new oil slick off the coast of Sakhalin (Russian Far East).