Pictures show the moment that heavy fuel oil began to leak from the hull of a broken vessel after it was stranded since crashing into a gas carrier off Gibraltar.
Today, the Captain of the Gibraltar Port said the spill is ‘fully under control’ as one person was arrested on Thursday in connection with the incident, 17 meters (56 feet) off the coast of Catalan Bay.
The accident happened when a Tuvalu-registered vessel, OS 35, loaded with steel bars and carrying over 400 tonnes of fuel, slammed into the ADAM LNG while leaving the bay on Monday night. Its hull broke yesterday.
The busy port of Gibraltar Port remains closed, while neighboring Algeciras port is fully operational.
A small amount of oil has now escaped the 200-meter exclusion zone placed to contain any spill, the Port Authority added, and work is ongoing to rig up another boom perimeter.
Pictures shows the moment that heavy fuel oil began to leak from the hull of a broken vessel after it was stranded since crashing into a gas carrier off Gibraltar
The ship is seen half submerged as an oil slick leaks out across the sea and past the 200-meter exclusion zone set up to contain the oil as boats are pictured nearby
Then boats are shown to try and set up another boom to contain the spill which it is hoped will mean that if anymore spills occur then it will not cause an environmental disaster
A leak of heavy fuel oil, a small amount of which has escaped the perimeter of the boom sits on the surface of the sea by the Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar
A second barrier was to be deployed to prevent the spill spreading. The oil is also being collected by two vessels from Gibraltar Port Authority and Spanish Maritime Rescue
People relax on a beach in front of the stricken Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship on Thursday that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar on Monday in Gibraltar
Tug boats work to control spilled oil from the Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar last Monday in Gibraltar on Thursday
A second barrier was to be deployed to prevent the spill spreading. An aerial photo of the stricken ship showed a small slick on the outside of the boom.
The oil is being collected by two vessels from Gibraltar Port Authority and Spanish Maritime Rescue.
The environmental impact of the spill was not immediately clear. Divers sent to the ship have already sealed the source of the leak – two vents in the fuel tanks.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the OS 35 bulk carrier ship with several tug boats positioned nearby, after it recently collided with an LNG tanker, in Catalan Bay
Tug boats work to control spilled oil from the Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar last Monday
The Tuvalu-registered ship with 30 people on board – who have now been evacuated – was heading to Vlissengen in the Netherlands on Monday and is now resting on the seabed.
No one was injured in the ship crash but it did force the closure of the busy shipping port on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula for four hours, authorities said.
Fabian Picardo, the head of Gibraltar’s government, explained to Spanish public broadcaster TVE that the pumping of the fuel remaining in the tanks will be carried out by the ship’s insurer.
The extraction is set to last around 50 hours. The ship has stored 215 tons of heavy fuel oil, 250 tons of diesel and 27 tons of lubricating oil, Spanish news agency EFE reports.
The Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar last Monday, lies on the seabed, off Catalan bay to prevent it from sinking in Gibraltar
Tug boats work to control spilled oil from the Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar last Monday in Gibraltar
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the OS 35 bulk carrier ship with several tug boats positioned nearby, after it recently collided with an LNG tanker, in Catalan Bay near Gibraltar
The Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship pictured on Thursday that collided with a liquid natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar last Monday
This satellite image pictured on Wednesday provided by Maxar Technologies shows the LNG tanker against which the OS 35 bulk carrier ship recently collided, in Catalan Bay
The British territory’s government said yesterday evening that attempts to remove the oil from the vessel have so far failed, the hull has broken, and the ship is likely to start separating.
A spokesman for the Gibraltar government said on Wednesday the cargo vessel was resting on the seabed in 17 meters (56 feet) of water close to the coast and carrying steel bars.
The Marshall Islands-flagged ADAM LNG arrived in Gibraltar after unloading in Malta. It remains at anchor near the place where the collision took place.
A man lies down on the sand on Wednesday as Cargo ship OS 35 is half sunk
The Red and White Ship (Adam LNG) pictured on Tuesday is the other ship in the collision, also pictured anchored off Gibraltar
A group of people sit on a beach in front of the ship after it collided with a liquid natural gas carrier pictured early Tuesday in the bay of Gibraltar
Crew members stand on Tuesday on the half sunken cargo ship OS 35 in Catalan Bay after its collision with LNG tanker. The 24 crew and 6 surveyors who were on board at the time, have been evacuated safely
A tug boat sits behind the Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship lying on the seabed off the shore of Gibraltar on Tuesday
A Government of Gibraltar statement, released on Wednesday, reads: ‘The hull of the Bulk Carrier OS 35 has broken. The two sections of the vessel have not yet fully separated.
‘There was a clear risk that this would occur. It was for this reason that urgent attempts were being made to remove fuel from the vessel. This has not yet been possible.
‘The OS 35 is already surrounded by an ocean boom that should contain any spill of oil which may occur.
‘No oil spill appears to have occurred. This is being constantly monitored.
‘The GPA (Gibraltar Port Authority) is working with the owners, salvers and P&I Club to address all issues that may now arise.
‘A meeting of the GCC (Gibraltar Contingency Council) was convened as soon as the news of the vessels circumstances was confirmed.
‘The Captain of the Port is taking action to ensure that any environmental impact is minimised.
‘All persons on board, a total of 24 crew and 6 surveyors who were on board at the time, have been evacuated safely.
‘All operations at Gibraltar Port are currently suspended to concentrate all resources on this emergency.’