A ship is photographed discharging burnt oil into the sea to avoid the disposal costs it has to pay at the port. The crime is documented from exclusive photos provided by Report Tv and shot today at 8:50 a.m. by the board of the airliner that had just departed from Rinas for northern Italy.
From the photos it is very clear a cargo ship that sails in a zig-zag discharges black oil into the sea, leaving behind a long black stripe. This crime took place today a little far from the Albanian coast in a selected area apparently not very inhabited. The burnt oil produced by ships together with the oil mixed with oil that collects in the tanks of each ship is considered as hazardous waste and is normally discharged into ports through special procedures.
These wastes have very high disposal costs. This is why it happens that some criminal captain, in order to avoid port disposal fees, dumps the waste at sea.
After the denunciation on Report Tv, the Prosecution of Durrës, started the investigation first by seizing the documentation in the port and thanks to the coordinates, to identify and locate the ship to punish the perpetrator of a crime that has caused great damage not only from the point of view environmental, but also for maritime tourism at the beginning of the summer season.
On the other hand, the director of the Maritime Directorate Paulin Ndreu added that the material that was spilled will be verified, as it may not be oil pollution, but the gas emitted by the ship from the engine.
‘We are familiar with the case and have started work on identification. We are checking the documentation of all these ships that entered and left at the time the photo was taken. Identification is not easy, but we are also communicating with the Interoperative Center of Rome. Every day they make satellite imagery available to us, and waste-throwing vehicles will be seen or there may be attempts to pollute the environment. At these moments we have established contacts and are waiting for the information and then we will come up with accurate conclusions.
The images will be given to us by the Interoperative Center of Rome because it will show us both the place and the ship, we are in a process, we do not have satellite images. The subject is severely penalized goes up to the blockage of the ship and with a heavy fine for what they have on the coast. The measures are strict.
It may not be oil pollution but the gas emitted by the ship. Since it can use fuel oil in the open sea, there can also be gases released by the engine, so we have to identify it.’- said Ndreu.