A fine of 39,293,420 Turkish lira was imposed on an oil tanker that polluted the sea in the Bozcaada anchorage area of the Aegean Sea. The Coast Guard determined that the "MAGIC LADY," a 228-meter-long, 39,300-gross-ton oil tanker sailing under the Barbados flag from Dakar, Senegal, had been involved in the incident.
The crew of the tanker was performing tank cleaning when sludge—a mixture of residues or oily deposits found in engine rooms, fuel tanks, or cargo tanks of oil tankers—was being transferred to a licensed waste collection vessel. During the transfer, a pipe system burst, causing sludge to spill into the sea until the circuit was sealed by the crew.
Upon receiving the report, the "TCSG 16" boat from the Western Marmara Coast Guard Command was dispatched to the area.
After on-site inspections conducted by the Western Marmara Coast Guard Command, Bozcaada Port Authority, the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, and Coastal Safety teams, it was confirmed that the oil tanker had caused the pollution. Consequently, the Western Marmara Coast Guard Command imposed a fine of 39,293,420 Turkish lira on the vessel.
Following examinations in the spill area, officials reported that no pollution had reached the shores.
Source: AA
