Bunker fuel spilled into the sea from two cargo ships in the Straits of Gibraltar
Two Liberian-flagged cargo ships that ran aground in the Straits of Gibraltar over the weekend have leaked bunker fuel into the sea, reports said.
Fedra, a 35,000-tonne cargo ship "was carrying around 300 tonnes of fuel of which at least half has already spilled into the sea," the government of Gibraltar said in a statement.
The Greek-owned vessel with 31 crew onboard broke in two after it ran ashore in bad weather at Europa Point, off the coast of Gibraltar on Saturday.
"This (the spill) has been controlled and treated by the Gibraltar authorities and has not polluted any seashore," the statement said, adding the next step would be to remove the remaining fuel from the ship.
"It is not expected that there will be any significant or material pollution event," it said.
The second ship with 22 crew onboard, ran aground overnight Friday on the San Garcia Point in Algeciras and sustained hull damage, leaking bunker fuel oil onto nearby beaches, reports said.
The bulk carrier Tawe had soiled between 300-400 metres of beach in the Bay of Algeciras, a representative of the central government in Cadiz said on Saturday.
However, the regional government of Andalusia said it had put in place emergency plans to prevent fuel from reaching the coast and said much of it would ''evaporate'' at sea without reaching beaches.
Tawe was carrying 1,000 metric tonnes (mt) of bunker fuel for its own use at the time of the accident, environmental group Ecologistas en Accion told AFP.
Fedra, a 35,000-tonne cargo ship "was carrying around 300 tonnes of fuel of which at least half has already spilled into the sea," the government of Gibraltar said in a statement.
The Greek-owned vessel with 31 crew onboard broke in two after it ran ashore in bad weather at Europa Point, off the coast of Gibraltar on Saturday.
"This (the spill) has been controlled and treated by the Gibraltar authorities and has not polluted any seashore," the statement said, adding the next step would be to remove the remaining fuel from the ship.
"It is not expected that there will be any significant or material pollution event," it said.
The second ship with 22 crew onboard, ran aground overnight Friday on the San Garcia Point in Algeciras and sustained hull damage, leaking bunker fuel oil onto nearby beaches, reports said.
The bulk carrier Tawe had soiled between 300-400 metres of beach in the Bay of Algeciras, a representative of the central government in Cadiz said on Saturday.
However, the regional government of Andalusia said it had put in place emergency plans to prevent fuel from reaching the coast and said much of it would ''evaporate'' at sea without reaching beaches.
Tawe was carrying 1,000 metric tonnes (mt) of bunker fuel for its own use at the time of the accident, environmental group Ecologistas en Accion told AFP.