An oil spill over the weekend that has blackened Athens' southeast coastline as far as the upscale Glyfada district and the waters off the major port of Piraeus turned political on Thursday, with the main opposition leader demanding the relevant shipping minister resign.
On his part, the minister, Panayiotis Kouroumblis, defended his actions, denied foot-dragging in the wake of a small tanker's sinking in the Saronic Gulf and said a major cleanup effort was underway. He nevertheless added that his tenure as minister depends on the prime minister's decision.
The demand for the minister's resignation was made by New Democracy (ND) Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who toured a tar-covered beach at the Faliro seafront.
The main criticism aimed at the ministry and the leftist-rightist coalition government, in general, is that emergency services failed to act immediately after the Agia Zoni II tanker sank in sea lanes frequently used by such vessels. Clean-up efforts reportedly revved up only after the sights and smells of oil slicks, and specifically mazut fuel, appeared on mainland shorelines.
Sources close to the prime minister's office, however, said there was no issue of requesting Kouroumblis' resignation.
Coastal municipalities warned that they will seek legal resource over the oil spill.
