|
''Katina P'' was a Greek oil tanker carrying 72,000 tonnes of oil which sank off the Mozambique coast on 26 April 1992. ==Sinking== On 17 April 1992, the master of the Greek-owned, Maltese-flagged vessel ''Katina P'' deliberately ran the ship aground north of Maputo in Mozambique and then abandoned ship. The tanker, which had been under way from Venezuela to the Persian Gulf, had lost a hull plate during a storm. Two of the vessel's tanks had ruptured and spilled some 13,000 tonnes of #6 heavy fuel oil in the Mozambique Channel. A further 3,000 tonnes leaked from the ship while it was aground. A South African tugboat, the ''John Ross'', was contracted by the firm Pentow Marine to tow the crippled tanker into the Channel where the remaining oil would be transferred to another tanker. During the tow the ''Katina P'' buckled amidships and on 26 April 1992 sank in of water, from the Mozambican coast and north-east of Maputo. It is not clear why the oil transfer was not done at an early stage of the tow, as time was obviously of the essence. The south-moving Agulhas current spread the spilled oil into Maputo Bay, the estuaries of Incomati and Matola rivers, mangrove swamps of Montanhana and Catembe, beaches of Catembe, Polana, Costa do Sol and Bairro dos Pescadores, Xefinas Island, and many more with disastrous environmental and socio-economic effects. Compensation of $10.7 million was claimed, but finally only $4.5 million was paid to the Mozambique government. Mozambique's lack of expertise in maritime claims and its not being a member of the International Maritime Organisation were cited as reasons for the small compensation figure. The payment had consequently been made in terms of the voluntary compensation scheme operated by the oil industry itself, and known as TOVALOP. Investigations following the disaster revealed considerable negligence on the part of the owners and the captain of the ''Katina P''. The unseaworthy tanker had been scheduled for demolition, and was on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Bangladesh where it was to be broken up. While crossing the Atlantic it was instructed to put about and load fuel oil in Venezuela destined for Fujirah in the United Arab Emirates. Some 5,000 tankers per year were being routed through the Mozambique Channel in 1999. Of these, 1,200 were Very Large Crude Carriers, each carrying at least 200,000 tonnes. Along this vulnerable stretch of coastline there is no contingency plan for marine pollution, nor is there legislation covering compensation for spill damage. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Katina P」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|