MADRID — Officials stated on Wednesday that teams are working to lessen the effects of a recent oil leak from a partially sunken cargo ship in Gibraltar that has interfered with bathing and fishing in both the British territory and a town in neighboring Spain.
The leak, according to the Gibraltar Port Authority, was brought on by the weekend’s bad weather. The authority claimed that Tuesday’s better weather made it possible to surround the ship with a boom in an effort to contain the spill.
In order to clean them of oil waste, two beaches in Gibraltar and one in the Spanish town of La Lnea de La Concepción were closed.
On August 29, the ship collided with another ship. However, some fuel that leaked out during the first week reached beaches and had an impact on fishing and port operations. The majority of the fuel was pumped out of the ship.
Fishing has been prohibited in several nearby areas since the collision, according to the town hall in La Lnea. It claimed the most recent leak was not as significant as the first.
According to Gibraltar authorities, the ship was essentially split in half and is now resting on the seabed in relatively shallow waters. According to Gibraltar Port, the most recent spill involved oil that was on board and could not be removed by pumps.
The best way to remove the shipwreck from the area is still up for debate among salvage teams.
Gibraltar reported that the Tuvalu-registered OS 35, measuring 178 meters (584 feet), was hauling 250 tonnes of diesel. It still had 183 tonnes of fuel oil and 27 tonnes of lubricant oil in its tanks after the initial spill.
Authorities decided to close Gibraltar’s port once more yesterday after residual oil was discovered spilling from the damaged OS 35 bulk carrier, including halting all bunkering operations.
