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Pumping of fuel started from Karakumneft tanker, marooned on rocks of Iturup Island

The Karakumneft tanker was tossed by a storm onto a shoal on February 15; 300 cubic metres of oil products leaked from holes
Screen-shot Russia 24
Screen-shot Russia 24

VLADIVOSTOK, February 19 (Itar-Tass) — Pumping of fuel started this morning from the Karakumneft tanker, marooned on rocks of the Kurile island of Iturup.

Oil products are pumped into fuel-filling motor vehicles which drove then to a lubricants depot and were unloaded there, reported the press service of the Sakhalin branch of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies.

The ministry’s divers inspected the sub-surface part of the tanker on Saturday and found out damages of its bottom, but there were no leaks of oil products from the tanker. Specialists on mopping up emergency oil slicks inspected the coastline 12 kilometres long to the north and south of the Kurilsk port and detected insignificant traits of diesel fuel on the coast.

The Karakumneft tanker was tossed by a storm onto a shoal on February 15; 300 cubic metres of oil products leaked from holes, received by the vessel. All in all, the tanker had more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel. Nobody of 20 crewmembers was injured during the emergency.

All of them were evacuated ashore on the night of February 15 and accommodated at a hotel of the city of Kurilsk.