Captain fined

A magistrate in Gibraltar has ordered the captain of tanker Gas Venus (IMO 9774197), which was involved in an oil spill in the Port of Gibraltar in August, to pay a fine of £20,000 ($25,000). The captain pled guilty on the charges of causing pollution. Gas Venus was bunkering with a fuelling vessel alongside when the spill occurred. The court heard that an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 litres of oil was released into the water. The spill was due to an overflow of the fuel tank on Gas Venus. The chief officer failed to observe the increase in the gauges indicating the fuel level. In addition, an alarm that should have sounded when the tank reached 85 per cent, failed to operate.