Greetings from Crete: Oily Mess Still Messy

We told you about the cruise ship (the Sea Diamond of Cyprus-based Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines) sinking off the shore of Santorini back in April of this year.

I can report first-hand that the saga hasn't yet ended. The ship sank with over 500 tons of diesel fuel oil. And those fuel tanks are leaking.

As of today, you can see the oil barriers on the surface, trying to contain the leaking oil.

According to an article I read this week in the English version of the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, officials are not sure what to do, other than leave the barriers in place and hope and wait (one problem: the ship lies in 325 feet of water in Santorini's sunken volcanic crater). This problem was recognized back in April, but not much has been done. Sure, they fined the captain and owners a couple of million, and they're fighting the fine.

Unfortunately, this is part of a much bigger problem throughout the Mediterranean. Far greater than accidental spills as this one, is the routine bilge dumping of ships in shipping lanes. Essentially, ships regularly dump their bilge water, which contains a lot of oil and other contaminants.

The amount of this pollution is shocking: every year, in Greek waters alone, ships dump more than four times the amount leaked from the Exxon Valdez sinking. That's right: 100,000 tons of oil each year in Greek waters alone. This is caused by 30,000 pleasure boats, 6,000 fuel tankers, and 60,000 merchant ships. The result? Oil slicks and environmental damage everywhere, caused in part by our desire to keep fueling our vehicles.