Captain and chief engineer of Russian freighter in custody over suspicious oil spill at Airisto
Following a ruling by the Turku District Court on Monday, the captain and chief engineer of the Russian cargo ship M/S Sinegorsk were remanded in custody, suspected of causing the oil spill that was detected off the coast at Airisto near Turku last Thursday. The police have a probable cause to suspect both of them of environmental damage.
During the remand hearing, both the 50-year-old master of the vessel and its 46-year-old chief engineer vehemently denied having been guilty of any oil discharge.
According to the defence counsels, the freighter had just left the Naantali port, where it could have discharged its bilge water if necessary. Moreover, its bilge water tank was far from being full, and consequently there was no need for bilge pumping at sea.
According to the police investigations, the Finnish pilot taking charge of the M/S Sinegorsk did not spot any oil in the water, while the pilot of a Finnish tanker, sailing directly in the wake of the Russian freighter, saw the oil sheen on the surface immediately.
The defence opposed the committal to custody, arguing that no deliberate act had taken place. They regarded the Airisto incident merely as a violation of the rules governing waste generated on board the vessel, which would bring the accused nothing more than a pecuniary penalty.
Bearing in mind the seriousness of the offence, the Court nevertheless made a decision on the committal to custody, as it was important to prevent the men from leaving the country until the case has been resolved.
The environmental damage from the oil spill would appear to be smaller than at first feared. On Monday, the Regional Rescue Services of Southwest Finland left the protective oil barriers still in place in Turku’s districts of Ruissalo and Kakskerta, while all shores were being monitored. Now the light fuel oil has mostly evaporated.
Last Thursday, the M/S Sinegorsk was kept anchored in the strait between Nauvo and Korppoo, while the captain and chief engineer were arrested and brought to Turku for questioning.
On Saturday, the freighter received replacements for its senior officers, and after an inspection, the vessel was permitted to leave.
At sea off the coast of Turku, some oil was again detected on Monday afternoon. According to the Department for Rescue Services, some 10 to 20 litres of oil had been driven to the reeds onshore. However, the Rescue Services managed to clean up the oil by Monday evening. Presumably the oil was a remnant of Thursday’s spill.
During the remand hearing, both the 50-year-old master of the vessel and its 46-year-old chief engineer vehemently denied having been guilty of any oil discharge.
According to the defence counsels, the freighter had just left the Naantali port, where it could have discharged its bilge water if necessary. Moreover, its bilge water tank was far from being full, and consequently there was no need for bilge pumping at sea.
According to the police investigations, the Finnish pilot taking charge of the M/S Sinegorsk did not spot any oil in the water, while the pilot of a Finnish tanker, sailing directly in the wake of the Russian freighter, saw the oil sheen on the surface immediately.
The defence opposed the committal to custody, arguing that no deliberate act had taken place. They regarded the Airisto incident merely as a violation of the rules governing waste generated on board the vessel, which would bring the accused nothing more than a pecuniary penalty.
Bearing in mind the seriousness of the offence, the Court nevertheless made a decision on the committal to custody, as it was important to prevent the men from leaving the country until the case has been resolved.
The environmental damage from the oil spill would appear to be smaller than at first feared. On Monday, the Regional Rescue Services of Southwest Finland left the protective oil barriers still in place in Turku’s districts of Ruissalo and Kakskerta, while all shores were being monitored. Now the light fuel oil has mostly evaporated.
Last Thursday, the M/S Sinegorsk was kept anchored in the strait between Nauvo and Korppoo, while the captain and chief engineer were arrested and brought to Turku for questioning.
On Saturday, the freighter received replacements for its senior officers, and after an inspection, the vessel was permitted to leave.
At sea off the coast of Turku, some oil was again detected on Monday afternoon. According to the Department for Rescue Services, some 10 to 20 litres of oil had been driven to the reeds onshore. However, the Rescue Services managed to clean up the oil by Monday evening. Presumably the oil was a remnant of Thursday’s spill.
Helsingin Sanomat