EMEA News
Indian Ship Dumped Oil: Authorities
Middle Eastern authorities say a ship managed by the state-owned Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. (SCI) deliberately dumped oil in the Persian Gulf, creating a 10-mile oil slick, Bahrain newspaper the Gulf Daily News reports.
"The law currently has to punish the violating ship as per the country it dumped the oil in, which in this case is most likely Iran," said Captain Abdulmunem Janahi, director-general of the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre (MEMAC), a regional organisation focused on marine pollution.
"In Iran, the fine could reach around $1m, but we are seeking to have other fines from countries that are potentially affected to be implemented as well like Saudi, Bahrain and Kuwait."
The Desh Shanti was reported to have been caught dumping the oil near Iranian waters on Tuesday despite warnings from authorities.
The vessel is a 158,030 dead-weight-tonne (dwt) crude tanker, according to the SCI's website.
Janahi said the ship has been added to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)'s black list.
Bahrain has been monitoring the situation, putting the coastguard, ports, and energy and desalination stations on alert, and could increase safety measures, according to Hanan Haidar, of the Supreme Council for Environment.
"In this case, the slick is far away near Iranian shores and it will not be arriving to any Bahraini port according to the information we received," she said.
"However, all authorities are on alert in case the slick travels near our waters."
