Seabirds still at great risk
There is still great risk for oil spills from ”Petrozavodsk”, the Russian freezer ship that ran aground by the coast of the Bear Island, Barents Sea, one month ago. The vessel’s captain and mate were both sentenced to prison for breaking the Maritime Code
Since “Petrozavodsk” ran aground has been grinding against the sharp rocks of Bjørnøya. The ships has 50 tons of diesel oil, 690 liters of lubricating oil and three barrels of hydraulic oil on board, and the vessel’s hull has been damaged, NRK.no reports. Because of rockslides from the mountain side behind “Petrozavodsk”, the vessel cannot yet be secured.
So far there have been no large leakages, but as BarentsObserver reported, dead and injured seabirds have been found in the water around the vessel. The birds had probably been soiled by diesel or oil that had leaked from the damaged ship.
Bear Island has one of the largest populations of seabirds in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Norwegian Institute for Polar Research estimates that half a million bird couples nest in the area.
The captain and mate of the vessel were both sentenced to prison for breaking the Maritime Code. The captain was sentenced to 18 days of prison for drinking alcohol while on duty. A blood-alcohol test taken nine hours after the accident showed a level of 1.77 ‰. He admits to have been drinking after the accident, while still on duty, news paper Svalbardposten reports.
The vessel’s mate was sentenced to 40 days of prison for sleeping on duty, so that the vessel entered a protected area and ran aground. He is also charged for drinking while on duty.
