Turkish Forest Ministry local branch files criminal complaint after deadly Marmara oil spill

İZMİT

The local branch of the Forestry Ministry in the northwestern province of Kocaeli on Jan. 30 filed a criminal complaint against a port in the industrial Dilovası district, which led to the spillage of 100 tons of oil into the İzmit Gulf. 

The oil spill that occurred off Dilovası on Jan. 12 spread to across the gulf in the Marmara Sea and caused the death of hundreds of birds that got covered in oil.

Following the spill, the Koceali Environment and Urbanization Ministry Provincial Branch fined the port 2.1 million Turkish Liras over the damage inflicted by the oil spill. 

The ministry also announced that it had filed a criminal complaint over the incident in relation to land-hunting laws.  

Despite local efforts to prevent the spread of the oil spill, many boats in the gulf were badly affected, in addition to many animals. 

Hundreds of black cormorants were killed in the spill. One contractor working in the Körfez district of Kocaeli, İsa Göksü, told reporters that he picked up 15 birds covered in oil from the coast and took them to the Darıca Zoo.

After being cleaned of the chemicals, the animals were put into quarantine.