2023-10-22 21:04:44
Sweden
Ferry runs aground and loses fuel
A ferry carrying 75 passengers ran aground in southern Sweden on Sunday, releasing a slick of fuel which reached the coast in the evening, authorities said.
PublishedOctober 22, 2023, 11:04 p.m.
The extent of the damage is under investigation, but there is no risk that the ship will sink (illustrative photo).
The TT-Line ferry Marco Polo ran aground south of Karlshamn on Sunday morning and passengers were quickly evacuated, the coast guard said.
The ferry “leaked diesel fuel for several kilometers before running aground where it was stuck,” according to the coast guard press release. “Investigators are on site to determine the circumstances of the accident,” said Jonatan Örn, senior coast guard investigator, quoted in this press release.
The preliminary investigation was opened for violation of maritime legislation and the ferry had deviated from its usual route when the grounding occurred, Jonatan Örn told public radio P4. The diesel spread until it hit dry land late in the afternoon on a coastal strip located in the municipality of Sölvesborg, authorities in Blekinge county (south) said.
Oil spill
The Swedish Civil Protection Agency (MSB) was called in and will begin decontamination of the site on Monday, they said. Thick fog prevails in the region, which made it difficult to assess the extent of the oil spill on Sunday afternoon, according to the coast guard.
Swedish authorities, the ship’s command and TT-Line’s shore team are assessing the damage to the ferry, the company said in a statement. The ship’s hull had several holes in the front and middle of the ship and water had seeped into them, according to Swedish news agency TT.
The extent of the damage is under investigation, but there is no risk that the ship will sink, Henrik Pahlm, head of maritime supervision at the Swedish Transport Agency, was quoted as saying by TT. The Marco Polo ferry operated a connection between the ports of Trelleborg and Karlshamn in Sweden.
(AFP)Show comments
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