Fears of major environmental disaster in Gran Canaria
Fears are growing that a Russian ship that sunk off the coast of Gran Canaria may cause an environmental disaster.
It’s estimated nearly 12000 cubic metres of oil have been spotted at the surface of the sea near to the location of the wreck of Oleg Naydenov.
The largest concentration of oil is 40 miles southwest of the location where the ship sunk, outside Spanish territorial waters.
An underwater probe is to be sent down to investigate the wreck, and see if how serious the oil leak is.
Spain’s Public Work Minister, Ana Pastor, made an emergency visit to Gran Canaria to personally oversee the operation to prevent a major environmental disaster, after the sinking of Russian fish factory ship.
The vessel, called the Oleg Naydenov, was carrying 1500 tonnes of fuel in its tanks. It caught on fire last Saturday, and was towed 15 miles off of the coast of Gran Canaria, where after a few days it sunk in over 2000 metres of water.
Skimmers and floating barriers have been deployed in the immediate area to contain and collect the oil, while planes are providing aerial surveillance to monitor the direction of a possible spread towards the coast.
An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, and a robotic probe may be sent down to survey the scene to check for leaks.
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Russian factory ship sinks off Gran Canaria coast
Serious ship fire in Gran Canaria