Pakistan grants bail to Greeks
KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistan has arrested eight crew members of a grounded Greek tanker on charges of negligence in handling the ship’s entry into the port, but police said yesterday they would be freed soon on bail. The Maltese-registered Tasman Spirit, carrying 67,500 tons of crude oil, ran aground on July 27, causing the worst spill in Pakistan’s history. The ship is still submerged outside the channel leading to Pakistan’s main port of Karachi. It spilled 28,500 tons of crude. The rest was drained out. Inspector Abid Hussain Shah said police arrested five Greek and three Filipino seamen on Friday, who are being detained at a hotel. He said they were taken before a court on Saturday, which approved their bail application against a surety of 500,000 rupees (7,521 euros) each. «They will be released in a day or two once their bail documents are complete,» he said. Pakistan is demanding $1 billion in compensation for environmental damage from the ship’s owners, Polembros.
