Gibraltar, Europe Brief News – Salvage teams have rushed to pump fuel off a grounded ship after it collided with a gas tanker off Gibraltar and began leaking fuel oil into the sea.
Authorities said there had been a significant leak from the OS 35 on Thursday and booms were deployed in an attempt to stop the oil spreading.
By Friday morning, the British overseas territory said 80% of the ship’s diesel fuel had been removed.
The chief minister described the next 48 hours as crucial.
Workers would begin pumping the ship’s heavy fuel oil, which was the most polluting fuel on board, Fabian Picardo told the BBC.
“I am very concerned about a potential spill and will not be relaxed until the vessel is entirely removed.”
No-one was hurt when the bulk carrier collided late on Monday with the tanker Adam LNG, which was carrying liquefied natural gas.
Although the OS 35 was damaged, Gibraltar authorities said the ship continued to leave the Bay of Gibraltar, heading for the Strait of Gibraltar which connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.
At that point the captain indicated he was taking on water. Gibraltar officials said they decided to run the carrier aground, semi-submerged, to prevent it from sinking. Port authorities tried to repair the hull but it broke in two and by Wednesday low sulphur fuel oil had begun to leak into the sea from the tank’s vents.
The captain is understood to have been arrested.
