More oil reported on beaches in Algeciras

More oil reported on beaches in Algeciras
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By m.p. - Dec 27, 2007 - 8:51 PM

The New Flame off Gibraltar. Photo – EFE.

Gibraltar says work to dismantle the New Flame cargo ship, where Spain says the oil is from, will start in 10 days

Algeciras City Hall has reported new fuel pollution from the New Flame cargo ship, which appeared on two local beaches on Thursday morning: Getares and El Rinconcillo. They said however that it was a much smaller amount than the oil spill found on the Algeciras coast in recent days, which Terra España said on Wednesday had amounted to 144 tons of hydrocarbons, sand, stones and water which had been removed from the two beaches.

City Hall said the municipal emergency plan remains in place, with a team of 30 Town Hall and Coastal Authorities personnel continuing with the cleanup on Getares and Rinconcillo. The teams will continue with their work over the holiday period, and until such a time as no new fuel residue comes in.

There was meanwhile news from Diario de Cádiz that Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, has announced that work to dismantle the New Flame will start in ten days’ time and will take three months to complete. Speaking after a meeting in Mijas, Málaga, with Spain’s secretary of state for foreign affairs, Bernadino León Gross, Mr Caruana, remained doubtful that the fuel found on the Spanish coast comes from the New Flame. He said he has asked for samples for testing, and that Gibraltar will take on responsibility if it proves to be from the cargo ship.

The two men agreed at their meeting that the next phase of trilateral talks on Gibraltar will lay down joint measures for cooperation on environmental matters.

The New Flame collided with a tanker off Gibraltar this August with 27,000 tons of scrap metal on board. It’s been lying aground off Europa Point ever since, until it broke in half last Saturday. The press in Gibraltar report that the stern has now sunk to the seabed.

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