- Title: ECUADOR: OIL SPILL THREATENS WILDLIFE ON GALAPAGOS ISLANDS.
- Date: 22nd January 2001
- Summary: GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR (JANUARY 21, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV/GV: VARIOUS OF "JESSICA" LYING ON SIDE IN WATER (4 SHOTS) 0.28 2. GV: VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TRYING TO TAKE OIL OUT OF WATER (3 SHOTS) 0.43 3. GV: SHIP IN WATER 0.53 4. GV/MV/PAN: VARIOUS OF UNITED STATES COAST GUARD ARRIVING (4 SHOTS) 1.32 5. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDER, EDWIN STATON, SAYING: "The tanks on the vessel are very damaged. The vessel looks to be a total loss and its very severely damaged. At least half of the cargo tanks are already leaking, most of them have already leaked most of their oil." 1.48 6. CU/GV: VARIOUS OF BIRD BEING CLEANED (3 SHOTS) 2.15 7. LV: SEALS ON BEACH 2.22 8. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ECUADOREAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, RODOLFO RENDON, SAYING: "The contamination situation of the islands is grave. There is an area approximately 2,000 square kilometers where contamination can be found. We are trying to prevent it from reaching the coastline. The place most threatened is Santa Fe where there are wolves and marine iguanas and tourist areas. 2.58 9. CU/PAN/GV: OIL IN WATER/ WORKERS REMOVING DRUMS PULLS OUT TO WIDE SHOT OF AREA/ MAP (2 SHOTS) 3.49 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th February 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR
- Country: Ecuador
- Reuters ID: LVA8QEZCR1UWH81VWZHQ2A2GOW6C
- Story Text: An oil spill in waters off Ecuador's Galapagos
Islands which is threatening some of the world's rarest land
and sea animals and birds has grown worse according to
experts.
The damaged vessel, the Ecuadorean-registered
"Jessica", ran aground last Tuesday (January 16) half a mile
(800 metres) from the archipelago's main port in its
easternmost San Cristobal island while its way to service an
Ecuadorean navy operation and a private tour boat operator.
The spill has already affected animals including a sea
lion, pelicans and several other birds in the islands,
administered by Ecuador, and located 600 miles (1,000 km) off
the coast in the southern Pacific Ocean.
Authorities said about 144,000 gallons (655,000 liters) of
diesel and bunker, a heavy fuel used by tour boats that
operate in the islands, have spilled into the sea. Anywhere up
to 96,000 gallons (436,000 liters) of fuel remain aboard the
ship, though crews are working to remove the tanks to avoid
future spillage.
"The contamination situation of the islands is grave.
There is an area approximately 2,000 square kilometers where
contamination can be found. We are trying to prevent it from
reaching the coastline," said Ecuadorean Environment Minister,
Rodolfo Rendon.
A minor spill began late Friday (January 19) when a pipe
in the ship's machine room burst. But the serious
contamination began early Saturday (January 20), when strong
waves eroded the shipments of diesel and bunker fuel aboard
the "Jessica," fouling waters near the islands that boast
unique marine and land creatures such as iguanas and giant
tortoises.
The global conservation body WWF called Sunday for limits
to shipping off Ecuador's Galapagos islands which British
naturalist Charles Darwin visited in 1835 developing his
theories of national selection.
A statement from the Swiss-based World Wide Fund for
Nature warned the spill could have a deep and lasting impact
on the creatures of Galapagos.
According to a government report, the spill measures close
to 130 square kilometers (50 sq miles), and mainly affects
Santa Fe and San Cristobal Islands.
Private fishing operators and Ecuador's marine service
have been working since Friday to control the spill, fencing
in the fuel and applying chemicals to neutralize its impact.
Local residents tried to prevent the spill from reaching
the islands' shores, while the Galapagos National Park Service
and Charles Darwin Research Station are struggling to protect
threatened wildlife.
The Galapagos Islands are home to hundreds of species that
have evolved for thousands of years in isolation and with
little human intervention.
The impact on marine life could not immediately be
determined though a spokesman from the Environment Ministry
said it was minimal.
A group of experts from the U.S. Coast Guard and Ocean and
Atmospheric Administration were arrived late Sunday to help
remove fuel from the boat.
"The tanks on the vessel are very damaged. The vessel
looks to be a total loss and its very severely damaged. At
least half of the cargo tanks are already leaking, most of
them have already leaked most of their oil," said U.S. Coast
Guard Commander, Edwin Staton.
Environmentalists have for years feared such an accident
off the islands, which lie across shipping routes from the
western coast of Central and South America.
They say keeping clear of the islands would add at most
only two days to the route south-westwards toward Australia
and west toward Indonesia, but that shipping companies have
been reluctant to incur the extra cost.
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