Korean Coast Guard Tracks Down and Detains Russian Ship in MARPOL Case

The Busan Coast Guard in South Korea is reporting the details on a recent MARPOL violation where it had to track down the vessel using detailed research. A small, Russian-flagged refrigerated cargo ship was identified as the source of the pollution and has now been detained after the Coast Guard pursued the ship.

The incident began when a diver reported an oil spill off the coast of Busan on the morning of September 24. The Coast Guard determined that the vessel that had released the oil had fled the scene. It conducted a clean-up while it began searching for the vessel associated with the spill.

A drone was deployed, and based on the spread of the oil film, the Coast Guard reports it targeted the unnamed vessel as a suspect in the case. It collected and analyzed oil samples from the spill.

“This case is a representative success story combining the systematic investigation and relentless pursuit of Busan Coast Guard's marine pollution response specialists,” said a Busan Coast Guard official. 

The vessel, which is only identified as a 2,616-ton Russian-flagged refrigerated cargo ship, was later stopped and accused of dumping approximately 39 liters of waste oil into the sea near Busan and then fleeing.

The Coast Guard reports it conducted a four-day inspection of the vessel, attempting to identify the source of the oil and the path of a possible leak. It inspected the entire engine room and discovered that the waste oil had leaked into the sea due to a malfunction caused by the deterioration of an intermediate valve while transferring engine room waste oil to a tank for engine repairs. 

Analyzing the oil aboard the vessel, they were able to confirm the same components as the recovered spill. Based on this and the detailed inspection of the engine room, they report that they obtained a confession from a crewmember on the vessel.

The Coast Guard is seeking compensation from the vessel’s operator for the costs involved in the clean-up of the spill. There was no word of any additional fines the vessel might be facing for the offense and leaving the scene.