TEHRAN, Aug 31 — Iranian authorities have seized a bulk carrier after they said it dumped oil and sludge into the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported today.
“Following the publication of images of the discharge of oil into the sea... expert and clean-up teams were dispatched to the site and seized the ship causing the pollution,” the deputy head of the Ports and Maritime Department of the southern Hormozgan province, Esmaeil Makizadeh, told the official IRNA news agency.
“The seized ship was a bulk carrier carrying sugar and had dumped a mixture of burnt oil, bilge water and industrial sludge directly into the sea,” he added, without specifying the vessel’s flag or the nationalities of its crew.
He said the waste has since been cleaned from the water and the ship has been referred to the judiciary.
Iran has demanded compensation following several oil spills in recent weeks, including near the country’s Qeshm island.
Early in August an oil slick was also spotted near neighbouring Oman from a tanker that ran aground.
An AFP investigation found the ship had been stranded for weeks near Oman’s Al-Qibliyyah island after it was damaged by explosions.
Iran has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the Middle East war in February.
It has said it plans to charge fees from transiting vessels to fund services including environmental protection.
The United States fiercely opposes any fees in the strait. — AFP
