The Cypriot transport vessel, which has been stranded off Iceland’s southern coast since December, was launched yesterday afternoon. The Minister of the Environment said the operation had cost less than expected.
According to ruv.is, the owners of Wilson Muuga and the Icelandic government had agreed last month to share the cost of launching the ship.
The cost of the operation were estimated at ISK 40 million (USD 613,000, EUR 452,000), of which the government agreed to cover ISK 15 million (USD 230,000, EUR 169,000).
Minister of the Environment Jónína Bjartmarz was present at the vessel’s launch yesterday. She said the final cost of the operation had not been calculated, but she did not expect it to be as high as originally estimated.
It took less than ten minutes to launch the Wilson Muuga. Gudmundur Ásgeirsson, CEO of Nesskip, the shipping company responsible for the vessel, said no decisions had been made about what will happen next. He added that it is too early to estimate the cost.
Some oil leaked from the ship yesterday. The Environment and Food Agency of Iceland will evaluate the extent of the pollution today and determine who will pay for cleaning the spill in the ocean.
Click here to read more about Wilson Muuga.
