Ship pollution splits opinion
Authorities from the island of Santorini yesterday accused the owners of the sunken Sea Diamond cruise ship of only partly revealing the truth in recent comments that the vessel has not polluted the sea. Santorini officials were responding to comments from Louis Hellenic Cruises on Wednesday that cited a report from the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR) as saying sea pollution levels in Santorini are «minimal.» «It needs to be highlighted that this observation relates to the time period relating to one month after the accident and cannot indicate future consequences, given the fact that the petrol leak continues,» the officials said. «We cannot be at ease until the source of the pollution is removed,» the officials added. The Cyprus-based company, which has been fined 1.17 million euros for polluting the sea around the shipwreck, has informed Greek authorities that pumping out the oil that remains in the sunken vessel would be «extremely dangerous.»
