The Poti City Court fined two ships sailing under the flags of Portugal and Palau ₾100,000 each for polluting the Black Sea, the Environmental Supervision Department reports.
The agency says employees of the Department’s Conventional Division for the Protection of the Black Sea, together with the Border Police, identified two cases of sea pollution.
The Environmental Supervision Department notes that the vessels polluted the Black Sea with industrial wastewater.
The ships were allowed to leave Georgia’s territorial waters after paying the fines and compensating for environmental damage.
“The protection of the Black Sea is a priority for the Department of Environmental Supervision,” the agency stated.
The Department says its Conventional Division continuously monitors the Black Sea to minimize water pollution and prevent illegal fishing.
Since the beginning of the year, the division has inspected 81 ships and identified 15 violations, including six cases involving sea pollution.
The agency says the number of oil pollution cases caused by ships has significantly decreased in recent years due to stricter monitoring and increased fines, which it says have had a deterrent effect.
