An oil slick from a bulk carrier was detected during a surveillance flight in the French exclusive economic zone, some 185 nautical miles from Penmarch, the French maritime authorities said.
The 23-meter long and 50-meters wide oil slick traced back to Liberia-flagged bulker Thisseas, owned by Laskaridis Shipping of Greece, while the vessel was sailing from St. Petersburg to China and has been characterized by local authorities as “intentional release”.
Having been informed of this, the Brest court ordered the ship on February 24 to divert from its voyage to the commercial port of Brest, where it arrived on Friday, February 26th.
The crew was interrogated by the local coast guard’s investigation teams and the company had to pay compensation of USD 542,000 in order for its ship to resume its journey. The case is expected to be resumed and the ship owner should appear before the local court in November.
According to the ship’s latest AIS data from March 1st, the 2012-built, 75200 tonne bulker is underway the Biscay Bay.
World Maritime News Staff; Video: French Navy