Oil-spill ship still detained in Jamaica
ALMOST A week after it was slated to leave for its next port of call, the Dominican Republic, the container vessel CSS Wind is still being detained at the port of Kingston, despite the spill from one of the containers it was carrying, which discharged an estimated 2,000 litres of heavy crude oil into the sea at Gordon Cay, being cleaned up.
Director of Safety, Environment and Certification at the Maritime Authority of Jamaica ( MAJ), Captain Steven Spence, told The Gleaner that the 21 other flexi containers on board the ship, some of which were bulging, a sure sign that the contents were under pressure, had been removed to the cargo hold and the clean-up operation pretty much completed.
“The clean-up operation, up to this afternoon (Wednesday), was pretty much completed from the sea; and where the spills were on the ship’s deck, specifically the hatch covers, they have been cleaned as well. However, the ship has still not left our shores because we want to ensure the vessel is safe for navigation before she leaves. So even though we won’t have spills into the water, we need to ensure that the vessel, the crew and the cargo are safe for navigation. There is cargo onboard that we need to ensure it can be carried safety by the vessel.”
The ship left Port Lisas i n Trinidad and Tobago on June 19, and arrived in Jamaica on June 22, but the oil spill occurred the next day, following an explosion from one of the flexi-bags in which the hazardous material was stored. It happened as crew members were conducting what should have been routine bunkering operations, which involves either taking on or discharging fuel, and during the exercise the liquid spilled, coating the starboard hull plating, with some getting into the sea. The MAJ has advised that usually, such hazardous liquids are transported in storage tankers, inside the vessel’s cargo, instead of on the deck of the CSS Wind, as was being done.
SATISFIED WITH CLEAN-UP
The ship should have left Jamaica on June 25.
“We are satisfied that the area has now been cleaned up,”Director of the Environmental Management and Conservation Division at the National Environment and Planning Agency, Anthony McKenzie, advised The Gleaner on Wednesday. “We have started the enforcement action, and there is now a discussion between our attorneys and those for the ship’s agents on the matter.” He did not provide any specifics on the cause(s) of the explosion.
However, when contacted, Leonie Mendel, who is employed by Perez y Cia Jamaica, local agents for the ship owners, said the clean-up operation was still in progress.