The tragedy of it all- why should they have to suffer? A Russian oil dump in Egypt raises more red flags in Middle East about oil spills and drilling practices.

The giant Gulf of Mexco oil spill is now more than two weeks old and although intensive efforts are being made to “cap” the well, it is still spewing 5,000 barrels of oil (950,000 liters) per day into the Gulf.  The three companies being held responsible are British Petroleum BP (who drilled the well), Transocean (who own the equipment, including the drilling platform), and Halliburton (who serviced the well, including making safety inspections). The environmental damage already done is feared to even surpass the giant oil spill on Spain’s ‘Coast of Death’ in 2002, and the Exxon Valdez in Alaska.

Now the Xinhua News Agency reports that the Egyptian Environment Ministry decided to a Russian ship after it dumped its oil waste into the Red Sea, causing an oil slick that stretched over 1 km off the coastal city of Ras Ghareb in eastern Egypt. An Egyptian chopper spotted the vessel in April. It hoisted the flag of Russia while it was dumping oil waste into the sea water. An Egyptian court has decided to seize the vessel until the fine is paid, the report added.