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Government urged to seize 'Prestige 2' tanker
Byzantio leaves Estonia
The British Government is being urged to seize an oil tanker dubbed 'Prestige 2' if, as expected, it enters British waters. The Byzantio left Estonia last week carrying 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil - the same cargo as the sunken tanker. Like the Prestige, it is a 26 year old single-hulled ship under charter by the Russian-owned trading company Crown Resources, sailing beneath a flag of convenience. It is expected to pass through the English channel as early as tomorrow.
The environmental group Greenpeace has written to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling urging him to ensure the ship is taken to the nearest harbour for inspection.
The Byzantio was recently detained for failing a port inspection. In August it was held for seven days in Dublin for various faults including a lack of fire fighting equipment and deficient certificates for masters and officers. According to Llyod's Marine Intelligence Unit it was involved in a collision with another tanker in the Mediterranean in April. The French shipping minister, Dominique Bussereau, warned Estonia that its chances of joining the EU as one of 10 new members could be compromised if the Byzantio was not thoroughly inspected. Estonia says the ship is fit to sail. European shipping officials have described it as a 'floating dustbin.'
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Brussels Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio have led calls for a crackdown on ships like the Byzantio. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac agreed last Friday to push for stricter measures at the EU summit in Denmark this month.
Ben Stewart of Greenpeace today said,
"The Byzantio clearly poses a threat, its cargo is virtually identical to the Prestige and it may be headed our way this week. The Government should get it into a port and subject it to a rigorous inspection. It's too late for the Spanish victims of the Prestige spill, but not too late to prevent another disaster."
Greenpeace last week attempted to prevent the Byzantio leaving Estonia. Over the weekend a huge slick of fuel oil from the Prestige started to wash up on the Galician coast, bringing more environmental devastation to the Spanish region.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
Byzantio leaves Estonia
The British Government is being urged to seize an oil tanker dubbed 'Prestige 2' if, as expected, it enters British waters. The Byzantio left Estonia last week carrying 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil - the same cargo as the sunken tanker. Like the Prestige, it is a 26 year old single-hulled ship under charter by the Russian-owned trading company Crown Resources, sailing beneath a flag of convenience. It is expected to pass through the English channel as early as tomorrow.
The environmental group Greenpeace has written to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling urging him to ensure the ship is taken to the nearest harbour for inspection.
The Byzantio was recently detained for failing a port inspection. In August it was held for seven days in Dublin for various faults including a lack of fire fighting equipment and deficient certificates for masters and officers. According to Llyod's Marine Intelligence Unit it was involved in a collision with another tanker in the Mediterranean in April. The French shipping minister, Dominique Bussereau, warned Estonia that its chances of joining the EU as one of 10 new members could be compromised if the Byzantio was not thoroughly inspected. Estonia says the ship is fit to sail. European shipping officials have described it as a 'floating dustbin.'
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Brussels Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio have led calls for a crackdown on ships like the Byzantio. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac agreed last Friday to push for stricter measures at the EU summit in Denmark this month.
Ben Stewart of Greenpeace today said,
"The Byzantio clearly poses a threat, its cargo is virtually identical to the Prestige and it may be headed our way this week. The Government should get it into a port and subject it to a rigorous inspection. It's too late for the Spanish victims of the Prestige spill, but not too late to prevent another disaster."
Greenpeace last week attempted to prevent the Byzantio leaving Estonia. Over the weekend a huge slick of fuel oil from the Prestige started to wash up on the Galician coast, bringing more environmental devastation to the Spanish region.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255