Watch: Gibraltar Confirms Fuel Leakage From Stranded Cargo Vessel

Authorities mentioned that an insignificant amount of heavy fuel oil has reportedly leaked from a bulk carrier that was stranded following a collision on Monday with another vessel near the Bay of Gibraltar. The Captain of the Gibraltar Port reported that the leak is currently under control.

Authorities declared that one person had been arrested on Thursday about the incident but gave no additional information.

The Port Authority said that a small amount of oil had somehow escaped the perimeter of a boom that contained spills. A second barrier was to be deployed to contain the spill from spreading. An aerial image of the stricken vessel reflected a small slick on the boom’s outside.

Video Credits: Hindustan Times / Youtube

Two vessels from Spanish Maritime Rescue and Gibraltar Port Authority collect the oil. The environmental effect of the spill was not clear. Expert divers sent to the vessel have sealed the leakage’s primary source—two fuel tank vents.

Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s government’s head, explained to TVE, the Spanish public broadcaster, that the ship’s insurer would carry out the pumping of the fuel remaining in the tanks.

The extraction is set to last around 50 hours. The ship has stored 215 tons of heavy fuel oil, 250 tons of diesel, and about 27 tons of lubricating oil, EFE reports.
The typically busy Gibraltar Port stays nonfunctional, while the neighbouring Algeciras port is fully functional.

References: ABC News, CNN

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