- Title: SPAIN: Beaches in Ibiza hit by oil spill from sunken ship
- Date: 16th July 2007
- Summary: SURVEILLANCE BOAT NEAR AREA OF SUNKEN SHIP 'DON PEDRO' CLEAN UP TEAM SCRAPING OIL FROM SAND OIL BLOBS ON ROCKS THOUSANDS OF OIL BLOBS ON SAND SEALED OFF BEACH AND SURVEILLANCE BOAT IN BACKGROUND
- Embargoed: 31st July 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Spain
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVADRXY4Y3GPHBCMF9ENM8GXTDLC
- Story Text: A sunken ship leaking fuel and oil into the sea near an Ibiza nature reserve will be sealed on Monday (July 16), a Spanish government minister said.
Clean-up crews have been at work since Wednesday (July 11) when the merchant ship 'Don Pedro' sank off the port of Ibiza, releasing 150 tonnes of fuel oil into the Mediterranean and forcing authorities to close three beaches on the popular resort island.
They said they were unsure of how long the operation would last.
"We don't know. It will depend on what we can scrape from the edge of the sea, on what remains. This is what is most difficult. But we will do it with patience and care," said Maria a beach cleaner wearing a protective suit.
The oil slick had not passed absorbent barriers put in place to protect the Ses Salines nature reserve, Public Works Minister Magdalena Alvarez said at a news conference on Sunday (July 15).
Earlier, Environment Minister Cristina Narbona had said the oil had reached the sea waters of Ses Salines, a resting point for migratory birds between Africa and Europe whose reed-fringed salt marshes boast a year-round flamingo population. "The reserve comprises land and sea, obviously there is pollution in the sea, we are trying to make sure it doesn't get to the beaches of the reserve," Narbona said.
A spokesman for the Public Works Ministry could not explain the apparent contradiction late on Sunday. No-one at the Environment Ministry was available for comment.
Divers inspecting the ship on Saturday found new leaks, from which fuel and hydraulic oil were escaping into the sea. Crews were working to clean up fuel and oil from the leaks directly from the sea and removing polluted sand from beaches.
Authorities have contracted a Dutch salvage vessel to remove the remaining fuel from the sunken ship.
OIL POLLUTION - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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