John Culatto
DIVERS have found and are trying to remove ‘oil pockets trapped within the frame of the hull’ that could still be leaking into the sea from the sunken ship off the Gibraltar coast, Gibraltar’s government said.
The Rock’s authorities believe removing the oil could ‘further reduce the appearance of free floating oil’, which is already far less than last week.
“In the past few days, only minimal amounts of sheening have escaped the boom, and with the ongoing works even this minimal impact will be further reduced,” the government said in a statement.
Port tugs repaired the booms surrounding the ship and at local beaches that have managed to keep the oil from spreading further.
The latest report came after Captain of the Port John Ghio briefed the Recovery Coordination Group on Tuesday.
It followed the collision of the OS 35 at the end of August which forced the bulk carrier to beach 700m of Catalan Bay.
Cleanup crews have continued to focus on Seven Sisters beach which bore the brunt of last week’s oil spill.
Gibraltar Joinery and Building Services (GJBS) workers advised by the Department of the Environment and Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) have been clearing the remote beach from oil since the weekend.
READ MORE:
- OIL SPILL: Cleanup teams remove oil from Gibraltar waters over weekend after discovering leak
- Gibraltar oil spill cleanup continues amid fears of pollution harming fish and beaches along the coast
- Cleaners tackle Gibraltar beaches hit by wind-driven new oil spill from beached ship
