Experts examine the area of chemical spill on Commander Islands

According to Sergey Danigevich, Ministry of Nature (Minpriroda) Special Marine Inspection deputy head, who told RIA "Novosti" about it. Thursday, experts who study ecology are flying to Commander Islands chemical spill area.

A decision on actions to liquidate the ecological disaster will be taken after the evaluation of the situation near the 20 tons container with tetraetylenglocol thrown out by the waves onto the coastal rocks of the Bering Island, said Danigevich.

The container with chemicals owned by "Dupont" company was cast out onto the coastal rocks of the Northern part of the Bering Island July 29, 2003.

According to Danigevich, about two thirds of the container contents got mixed with water and was carried into the sea. "The oily liquid glues up sea birds plumage , said Danigevich. "The container contents was the reason of the death of 43 sea cormorants".

He mentioned that the container now is positioned on a hill with the holes up and there's no danger of spilling of rest of 6 or 7 tons of the chemicals substance.

Nevertheless, water and ground tests in the chemical spill area are being done constantly.

There are two representatives of the "Dupont" company which, according to Danigevich, has compiled a claim to the container carrier. The container was loaded aboard the "Villa Datania" vessel /port 0f call Marcelle, France/ to be delivered to the Korean port of Pusan.

The carrier company asserts the container was lost last March, supposedly, in the area of the Aleutian islands 100 miles from the Bering island, but not at the coast of the Korean peninsula, as was said before. Last spring The Commander islands got the status of international biosphere sanctuary and were included into the global nature heritage. There are schools of 21 kinds of whales and whale-like animals in the coastal waters of the islands, whereas Commander islands themselves have about 300 000 seals and otters, as well as over 500 000 rare Northern birds.