Oil from Russian trawler wreck reaches Canaries' beaches

Picture taken on April 12, 2015 by Spanish Salvamento Maritimo shows Russian trawler the Oleg Neydenov being towed out to sea af
Picture taken on April 12, 2015 by Spanish Salvamento Maritimo shows Russian trawler the Oleg Neydenov being towed out to sea after a fire broke out on board while it was moored at Las Palmas port

Oil from the wreck of a Russian trawler that sank off the Canary Islands last week has washed up on the beaches of the picturesque tourist islands, Spain said.

"On Thursday and the morning (of Friday), 200 cubic meters (7,000 cubic feet) of with oil residues were recovered. On the beaches, 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of oil have been removed," the government said in a statement.

Specialists are ready to intervene if more fuel reaches the islands' shores, it added.

The Oleg Neydenov was carrying nearly 1,500 tonnes of when it sank on April 15 in an area environmentalists say is home to deep-sea coral and a significant population of dolphins and turtles.

An underwater robot on Tuesday discovered the wreck at a depth of 2,700 metres (8,850 feet), some 15 miles (24 kilometres) off the southern coast of Gran Canaria island.

Bad weather has since prevented the authorities from plugging the leak and Greenpeace said the has extended for over 100 kilometres.

Spain said two turtles and seven birds were being treated after being found covered in oil.

The Canary Islands, off the coast of northwest Africa, are a tourist hotspot, welcoming some 10 million visitors a year.

© 2015 AFP

Citation: Oil from Russian trawler wreck reaches Canaries' beaches (2015, April 25) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2015-04-oil-russian-trawler-canaries-beaches.html
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