Pollution barrier erected around tanker that ran aground off Kea island

Authorities have placed floating barrier around a small oil tanker than ran aground off the coast of the western Aegean island of Kea while carrying 190 migrants and refugees on Monday.

The Turkish-flagged Dorduncu crashed into rocks on the breakwater at the island’s port in gale-force winds in the early hours of Monday, taking on water and sinking partially.

It was carrying 123 men, 29 women and 38 children at the time of the accident, which occurred as the ship was reportedly sailing from Turkey to Italy. All the passengers were safely evacuated before the ship started to sink.

Divers, engineers and pollution inspectors with the Shipping Ministry, however, have ascertained that the Dorduncu is also carrying a quantity of crude oil, which will have to be pumped out of the vessel before it can be raised.

Authorities are trying to avoid any leakages of the oil or the ship’s fuel into the sea.