Moldovan motor ship rescued in Black Sea

Chisinau, 14 February /MOLDPRES/- An oil tanker under the flag of Moldova sailing on the Black Sea called for the intervention of the Romanian port authorities, after the crew discovered a crack in the ship.

The head of the Giurgiulesti Port Captaincy, Victor Andrusca, said that the ship was carrying fuel and headed from Odessa to Constanta port.

“The ship belongs to an economic agent from England and called for help of the Romanian port authorities after the crew discovered a crack in the engine room. We have announced the international authorities about the incident. The case will be investigated by a regional commission that will set all circumstances”, Andrusca said.

Andrusca noted that currently 272 ships are sailing under the flag of Moldova. “About 160 ships have been removed from the State Register of shipping for various infringements. At present, the registration fee paid by ship owners in Moldova is much lower than in the countries in the area, therefore we intend to submit to the authorities a request to increase these payments. In 2017, 6.7 million lei came from registration of ships and tax payment to the budget of the port, out of which over 3 million were paid to the state budget”, he said.

Moldova has been included for ten years in the black list of the Paris Memorandum – an organization that sets flag state performance index for enhancing maritime safety. Our country ranks 70th out of 73 states, alongside Togo, Tanzania and Congo.

(Reporter A. Zara, editor L. Alcază)