Pakistan to seek $1 billion for tanker disaster

Pakistan said yesterday it would demand $1 billion in compensation from the owners of a stricken Greek tanker after the worst oil spill in the country's history.

Communications Minister Ahmed Ali told reporters the claim would be made through the Pakistan National Shipping Corp (PNSC), which chartered the stricken Maltese-registered Tasman Spirit, to the Greek owners, Polembros.

"We have hired the best lawyers. We are preparing for a long legal battle," he said. "The pollution has caused immense damage to the environment. The people of Karachi have suffered a lot."

The vessel, carrying 67,500 tonnes of crude, ran aground on July 27 during bad weather and a high tide. Ali said about 28,500 tonnes of crude oil had spilled from the tanker.

Environmentalists believe it will take several months to clean the beaches, which are blackened by oil, and say the spill has also damaged marine life.

Ali said the Karachi Port Trust would also seek compensation for additional services it provided during the salvage and draining operation.

Iftikhar Arshad, a senior trust official, said oil patches had been spotted as far away as Port Qasim, 30 kilometres east of Karachi and two beaches west of Karachi, Sandspit and Hawksbay, had also been polluted.

Authorities have previously said the pollution was confined to beaches east of Karachi.

The announcement of the plan to claim compensation came as authorities said they had almost completed the draining of crude from the Tasman Spirit.

"More than 37,000 tonnes has been drained out," Ali said. Ali said authorities had drained 1,100 tonnes yesterday and 900 tonnes remained. This was expected to be emptied in the next few hours.

"We do not see the fear of any more leakage," Ali said. Arshad said people affected by pollution were being given free medical tests and those affected would get free treatment at state-run hospitals.

Nadeem Rizvi, head of the chest and medicine department of the state-run Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre, said people living on the coast had complained of nausea, headaches, respiratory and eye problems.

"We have also a lot of cases in which people have complained about tightness in the chest, difficulty in breathing and dizziness," he said.