Galapagos tanker captain jailed

The authorities in Ecuador have sentenced to 90 days in prison the captain of an oil tanker which ran aground in January, spilling almost a million litres of oil and diesel fuel in the waters around the Galapagos Islands nature reserve in the Pacific Ocean.

The captain, Tarquino Arevalo, will also have his professional licence suspended for allowing the tanker to run onto a reef just off San Cristobal island as it prepared to enter the harbour to deliver fuel.

At first, it was feared the accident would cause major damage to the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.

But a speedy clean-up operation and favourable weather quickly dispersed much of the oil.

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