Wednesday November 4, 2009, 1:44 am
how dreadful

Wednesday November 4, 2009, 1:55 am
i cant understand why the ship owners are not more taken for responsible for all these desasters in the seas!
are there no international laws for this?????

Wednesday November 4, 2009, 5:03 am
Thannxxx.. these ship owners must pay up and be helf accountable for their disasters

Wednesday November 4, 2009, 5:08 pm
Once again a preventable disaster unfolds. I was always taught that if you spill it you clean it up.

Wednesday November 4, 2009, 5:30 pm
The insurance syndicates at Lloyd's or wherever will pay for the loss of ship and cargo. P&I(Protection and Indemnity) Club insurance will pay for the environmental damage up to a limited amount, which is never enough. Salvors can pump out most of the bunkers, diesel oil and lube oil, either under contract or under Lloyd's Open Form. They can also be given an award for environmental salvage if they can show they've acted to prevent environmental damage. It appears that when the ship ran aground it was holed and started to break up just where the heavy bunker oil is located in the double-bottom tanks. This must be pumped out immediately. This ship is Turkish-owned, judging by the name and the info in the article. Responsibility for the safe operation of the ship lies with the flag-state, i.e. where the ship is registered. In all probability it was registered with a flag of convenience, Panama, Liberia, Honduras,etc, who just take the tonnage money and don't care about the ships on it's register. If it's under Turkish registry that government might hold an investigation, but it is notoriously corrupt.

It is absolutely unforgivable to run a ship aground in perfect daylight, especially with the miracle of GPS. The Captain and the Officer of the Watch, should have their licenses revoked and never allowed to sail again. Unfortunately, unless the government of Madagascar arrests them and holds them, they will get away and be sailing again soon. The Turkish flag is a virtual flag of convenience, employing cheap, poorly-trained and treated international crews.

I have campaigned most of my professional career to have these sub-standard vessels and crews outlawed, but we all know what corporate power can do. In all likelihood the ship owner will walk away with a profit from this disaster.
Captain Colin Smith M.Sc
Sidney,B.C.,
Canada

Thursday November 5, 2009, 11:16 am
even if they pay for it and clean it up the damage can never be totally undone.