Spain aims to quench fertiliser fire
Spanish maritime safety agency Salvamento Maritimo (Sasemar) will attempt this afternoon to flood the burning cargo of fertiliser aboard the stricken Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Ostedijk, in sheltered waters 5-6n-miles off Estaca de Bares, near Cape Viveiro, Galicia. All crew members were today evacuated from the ship and the risk of intoxication from 6,000 tonnes of smouldering fertilisers. Four Filipino crew members suffering from the effects of gas intoxication were intially airlifted off the Ostedijk yesterday afternoon. This new crisis off the coast of Galicia started when the Dutch-operated, 7,300dwt ship called for emergency assistance in the early hours of Saturday. It is reported to have been en route from Norway to Valencia. The ship was towed to about 14 miles off La Coruna where, according to Sasemar, it was later allowed to continue sailing after the captain of the vessel reported that the decomposition of the fertiliser had been stopped. However, it made a second distress call little more than 12 hours later, on Sunday morning, when further gas emissions were detected on the board the ship. It was by then about 34n-miles off Cape Vilan. Spain’s Environment Minister, Cristina Narbona, said today that Galicia was under no risk of pollution from the fertiliser gases.