Oil spill skipper bailed after 80 days in jail

The Greek captain of the sunken tanker that caused one of Spain’s worst environmental disasters ended an 80 day spell in jail today after his €3m bail was paid.

Apostolos Mangouras was arrested in Spain on November 17, four days after the tanker Prestige began breaking up in storms.

He left the Teixeiro jail in north-western Spain today after the London Club insurance company posted his bail.

But he is not free to leave the country and has to report daily to police in the nearby town of La Coruna.

Mangouras has been charged with disobeying authorities and harming the environment.

The Prestige started leaking on November 13 when its hull ruptured in a storm, and broke in two and sank six days later. It was carrying 77,000 tons of fuel oil.

About one quarter spilled, tarring hundreds of miles of Spanish and French coastline and triggering the ban on fishing, an industry worth €272m a year.

Many experts said the government could have averted the catastrophe if it had brought the stricken ship into shelter instead of ordering it out to sea.