Antigua and Barbuda flagged Cargo Ship Fined €120,000 for Fuel Spill

Antigua and Barbuda: Spanish authorities have charged a heavy fine to a cargo ship flagged under Antigua and Barbuda following a fuel spill near the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Spain’s Merchant fleet on Monday. The fuel spill is accused to happen during a refuelling operation in Cueta.

Tony Stark, the ship is reported to be operated by a German Company. As per more details from the authorities, it is said that the vessel experienced a heavy Monetry fine of 120,000 Euros ($130,524) and has been refused exit from the port until the payment is made. The German operators of the ship, Nauticore Shipping has not yet addressed the incident.

According to information shared by Marine Traffic, the ship left Bilbao on July 14, en route to the Italian port of Manfredonia and is currently in CEUTA Anchorage.

Oil trails were also spotted last week in front of Benitez Beach, harbor breaks and San Amaro Beach in the Alboran Sea in Ceuta. They also issued a separate statement in which the merchant fleet estimated that approximately one ton of fuel had been distributed.

The Merchant Navy said it had initiated disciplinary proceedings to determine the final punishment. Also, in a separate incident last week, three beaches near Valencia were closed due to a fuel spill that covered 2 kilometres of sand. The cause of the leak has not yet been determined.

It is to be noted that the Tony Stark is a general cargo ship flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. Built in 1993, the ship is managed by Nauticore Shipping GMBH and CO, Germany.

After this, netizens reacted to this incident and shared their opinions in their comments.

Cassandra Campbell a facebook user noted, “Antigua in it again…never out of nothing”

Maricia Barry, commented: “All they are doing is making a fool of the Caribbean, you all found a submerged corgi with an Antigua-Barbuda flag on it, they are just looking for ways to make war on our region.”

Another person commented: “I think there should be a penalty for slandering Antigua and Barbuda as well.”