The marine authorities in Spain are demanding that the Greek Shipping company Queensway Navigation must pay for a bitumen spill from one of its product tankers at Huelva Port.
Nearly 20 tonnes of bitumen was spilled from the 5,000 dwt tanker Sunpower, when one of its cargo tanks overflowed while in port on July 26, 2015.
Sunpower was detained by the port authorities in Spain after an inspection, which concluded that the ship’s crew had failed to maintain the required procedures during cargo operations, which led to the spill. Further investigations into the incident are underway.
Owner was already required to deposit sufficient sum to guarantee cleaning and other associated costs. The Panama-flagged vessel will be released after money deposit and completion of cleaning operation.
Port emergency anti-pollution plan was activated, surrounding the leaking vessel with oil booms to contain the spill.