"The provision of Article 23 of the new Criminal Code on responsibility for violating navigation safety regulations has been amended. Now punishment is envisaged only if people die, while the provision on causing grave damage has been cancelled," the source said.
Nonetheless, as about 200 metric tons of fuel and diesel oil have been spilled and most of Kholmsk's coast has been polluted, the environmental and transport prosecutors have launched a control check. To this end, they will confiscate the ship's journal and question the captain and the other 28 crewmen.
The documents of the port services will be examined, because the captain of the Christopher Columbus received two notifications about the departure of a supership into the storm in the open sea during a storm Typhoon Songda. The Russian control services will examine engines and other equipment of the pipe laying ship used as part of the Sakhalin-2 project.
After all the causes of the accident are clarified, a criminal case might be launched, RIA Novosti learnt in the Sakhalin environmental and transport prosecutor's offices. In particular, the probe will check whether there were any force majeure circumstances that prevented the ship from entering the high seas from the Kholmsk harbour after receiving the storm warning.
The prosecutors did not specify the articles that the criminal case may be based on.
The press service of the local civil defence and emergencies department reported Friday that two operative groups had been set up to co-ordinate the efforts. Mr. Degterev, chairman of the local commission for preventingand dealing with emergencies and providing fire safety, is coordinating the efforts to eliminate the consequences of the accident.
According to the latest reports, about one square kilometre of the coastline has been purified. Five tons of sorbent, over a 0.5 kilometres of booms and other equipment are ready for collecting oil products on the water.
According to preliminary estimates, the polluted area stretches for 4.5 km of the Kholmsk coastline and goes 200 metres into the sea. Besides, as a result of the storm and high waves, 30 metres of coastline have been polluted with fuel and diesel oil.
The Sakhalin basin emergency and rescue department has prepared a ship for collecting oil products from the water, which will set out for Kholmsk as soon as the weather improves. In all, 77 people and 7 units of equipment are engaged in eliminating the consequences of the accident.
