A minor oil spill was reported to the Gibraltar Port Authority shortly after 1pm on Wednesday 6 December 2017. The oil spill occurred when a yacht taking luboils at Western Arm suffered an overflow of delivery from the tank vent on deck which made its way into the sea via one of the deck scuppers.
The GPA immediately informed the relevant agencies and attended the scene to assess the situation.
The yacht crew had deployed oil spill absorbent booms and pads into the sea and were able to contain the lubes within the immediate vicinity of the yacht. The Port Launch was also deployed to assess the oil spill in the water and observed that most of the oil in the water had drifted in a southerly direction and was contained between SKS Tanaro and the Detached mole. Oil pollution responders are currently on site concluding clean-up operations.
It is estimated that around 2 - 4 litres of Luboil made its way into the sea.
Manuel Tirado, CEO and Captain of the Port thanked everyone for their quick reactions which had led to only a small amount of oil making its way into the sea with limited impact on the environment.
