Sunken Cruise Ship Oil Threatens Environment

Sunken Cruise Ship Oil Threatens Environment



   
April 2007 -   The Greek government 
has intenvironment newsified its efforts to stop an oil leak from the 
sunken cruise ship Sea Diamond. The vessel has already spilled 
more than 118 metric tons of fuel near the Aegean island of 
Santorini, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations. 
Nearly 540 metric tons of oil remain onboard the vessel, which 
lies upside down in a volcanic crater some 150 meters (325 
feet) deep. 
A remote-controlled submersible Wednesday began recording 
images of the sunken vessel in an attempt to give officials 
the information they need to deal with the oil still aboard 
the wreck. The site where the Sea Diamond sank and now lies beneath the 
surface. 
The 22,412 ton vessel, operated by Louis Cruise Lines, struck 
well-marked rocks on April 5. More than 1,156 passengers, most 
of them Americans, and 391 members of crew were evacuated 
safely. 
The Sea Diamond sank early in the morning of April 6. 
Authorities said two French passengers - a 45 year-old man and 
his 16-year-old daughter - are still missing and are feared 
drowned. The man's wife and son narrowly escaped the stricken 
ship. 
The Greek government at first declared the operation a 
success, but as the oil leak spread from the vessel, Merchant 
Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis made more oil cleanup 
resources available. "The situation is under control for the 
moment," he said today after visiting Santorini. 
Floating barriers one and a half kilometers (one mile) in 
length have been placed in the sea to contain the oil, and six 
vessels are collecting oil from the sea. 
Vassilis Mamaloukas, the oceanographer who is leading the oil 
cleanup operation for the private Greek contractor 
Environmental Protection Engineering SA, said oil is still 
leaking from the ship. 
Santorini Mayor Angelos Roussos said the municipal council 
will hire a legal firm to monitor the oil spill cleanup. 
Island officials are considering a lawsuit if the ecosystem is 
damaged. 
A Greek prosecutor on the island of Naxos has charged the Sea 
Diamond captain Yiannis Marinos and five other crew with 
misdemeanor negligence. 
They are accused of causing a shipwreck through negligence, 
causing pollution to the sea through negligence, and failing 
to apply international regulations on avoiding collisions. 
The captain has reportedly blamed strong currents for driving 
the ship up on the reef. 
The Sea Diamond cruised the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
 Louis Cruises representative Chief Captain Giorgos Koubenas 
told reporters Wednesday that the shipwreck was "a human 
mistake." 
"This incident happened due to a human mistake as the 75 
percent of the incidents that occur in the sea," Koubenas 
said. 
Minister of Tourism Development Fani Petralia said that there 
will be severe punishments for the incident. "We have all to 
realize that negligence and offhandedness are two 
characteristics that do not comply with the picture of a 
hospitable and safe country as Greece is," she said. 
Louis Hellenic Cruises said in a statement that the company 
"continues to cooperate closely with the relevant authorities 
in Greece and is committed to fully investigating the causes 
of this accident." 
The Sea Diamond was built in 1986 and was refurbished in 1999. 
She joined Louis Hellenic Cruises' fleet in 2006. The company 
said, "The vessel maintained the highest level of safety 
standards and was equipped with the latest navigation 
systems." 

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