Oil leaks off Gibraltar after cargo ship collided with gas tanker

Gibraltar authorities scrambled to contain possible marine pollution following a cargo ship ran collided with a liquefied natural gas carrier (LNG) to prevent sinking.

The collision resulted in the structural rupture of the carrier, which was expected to split due to its heavy load of fuel, diesel and lubricating oil.

The incident occurred last Monday night at the southern entrance to the strait, between the “Os 35” vessel, which was moored 700 meters from offshore and the other vessel “ADAM LNG”, carrying liquefied natural gas, which was not damaged. There was no record of any injuries.

The cargo ship sustained “significant damage to the vessel’s starboard side,” stressed the Gibraltar government in a statement, adding that it included a gash below the water line measuring approximately 10 meters by 4 meters.

Local and international media fear that the collision will lead to marine pollution, expressing that the situation is “shocking” and “alarming”.

A political party in Ceuta called on the city’s authorities to put in place the necessary mechanisms “to prepare for the threat of marine pollution and activate the regional maritime emergency plan.”

“Oman Shipmanagement Company has made all the necessary notifications and further inspection of the bulbous bow and forepeak areas are underway,” stressed the company representing “ADAM LNG”.

“The Port Authority directed the vessel OS 35 to the Eastside in order to ensure it could be beached and in that way try to minimize as much as possible the risk of the vessel sinking and to secure the lives of the mariners on board,” said Gibraltar Port Authority in a statement.

However, Ceuta authorities have not yet taken any step in this direction, nor have the Moroccan authorities issued any decision or communication in this regard.

Meanwhile, the government of Gibraltar confirmed that a specialized team was preparing to unload a cargo conveyor to reduce the risk of leakage.

As an initial measure, Gibraltar Port Authority has suspended all port operations for approximately 4 hours, and the Port of Gibraltar has now fully reopened for all activities.

The port authority added that a notice has been issued to seafarers in the 200-meter exclusion zone around OS 35. Some 400 meters of outriggers were deployed on site to be deployed around the vessel in the event of an oil spill.

In addition, they will be pending the start of the process of unloading 215 tons of heavy fuel oil, another 250 tons of diesel and 27 tons of lubricating oil, the tanker was surrounded by a barrier to contain a slight leak of lubricating oil, according to the government statement, which confirmed that the unloading process may take about 50 hours.

All on board, 24 crew members and six inspectors were evacuated, the same source said.