Minor spillage reported as Latvian environmental agency's patrol boat sinks in Riga

Employees of the Latvian State Environmental Service spent Monday dealing with pollution caused by their own agency's patrol boat, which after spending years docked at Voleri harbor in Riga started sinking last night.

Although the environmental service was not yet able to specify the seriousness of the damage, its representatives assured that the spillage had been insignificant.

The written-off patrol boat Bremen, which the environmental service was planning either to sell or send to junkyard, had been idle-standing in Voleri for six years.

Built more than 30 years ago in Germany, the Bremen started sinking overnight to Monday, with its stern hitting the bottom of the River Daugava.

Representatives of the State Environmental Service said the Bremen was never left unattended and was constantly monitored from video cameras. The patrol boat's sinking was noticed on Monday morning.

There were about four tonnes of fuel in the vessel, but it did not leak into the water. "The spillage you can see on the water surface is hydraulic fluid and antifreeze," said Evija Smite, director of the environmental service's fishing control department.

Oil booms and absorbent pads have been placed in the water around the partly sunken boat, and the pollution is being cleared up. "Divers are currently working at the scene to pump out water from the ship and deal with the leak. It is planned that as a result of these rescue efforts the ship will rise and become stable enough to be either lifted from water or towed to another location," said Smite. Endit