Island mayor threatens suit as oil spill spreads

Clean-up crews were scrambling Tuesday to contain the spread of an oil slick on the island of Salamina, near Athens, caused by a small tanker that sank over the weekend in the Saronic Gulf.

Reports said that crews had managed to stop up leaks from the ship's cargo hold. Authorities also said that a pumping operation to remove the oil is expected to begin Wednesday and will last for 20 days.

However, the sinking of the Aghia Zoni II off the coast of Psyttaleia with a cargo of 2,200 tons of fuel oil and 370 tons of marine gas oil, has caused serious environmental damage, as the subsequent spill spread due to strong winds to the eastern coast of Salamina, covering a 2.5 kilometer stretch of the island's shoreline with crude oil.

The island's mayor, Isidora Papathanasiou, said that available resources to tackle the problem are insufficient.

"The damage is very...