News
Vessels Sailing Under the Flags of Portugal and Palau Fined GEL 100,000 Each for polluting the Black Sea
The staff of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea, under the Department of Environmental Supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, together with the Border Police, identified two cases of Black Sea pollution.
Vessels sailing under the flags of Portugal and Palau polluted the sea with industrial wastewater.
Based on the administrative offence reports drawn up by employees of the Department of Environmental Supervision and the Border Police, the Poti City Court found the vessels guilty and imposed a fine of GEL 100,000 on each vessel.
The vessels were allowed to leave Georgia’s territorial waters and continue free navigation only after paying the imposed fine and compensating for the environmental damage.
Protecting the Black Sea remains a priority for the Department of Environmental Supervision. The Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea carries out continuous state monitoring to minimize water pollution and to prevent, suppress, and detect illegal fishing activities. Since the beginning of the year, employees of the Convention Division have already carried out inspections of 81 vessels. A total of 15 violations have been identified, including 6 cases of marine pollution caused by vessels.
Notably, in recent years, pollution incidents caused by oil-containing wastewater from vessels have significantly decreased. This is due, on the one hand, to the strengthened capacity of the Department of Environmental Supervision and the effective work of the Commission, and on the other hand, to increased fines, which serve as a deterrent.
