meeting just before the Easter holidays there are beaches in La Rochelle, Biarritz and the Vendée: After the sinking of a container ship in front of France’s West coast have two large Oil slicks formed.
After the sinking of the container ship, the “Grande America” in the Bay of Biscay, two Oil slicks to drift by now on the French coast. The newly spotted Oil slick had been discovered nine kilometres long and seven kilometres wide and 20 kilometres away from the first, informed a spokesman of the marine Prefecture in Brest. Previously, the speech was only a carpet. The information about its length were corrected to 13 kilometers to the top.
special ships and reconnaissance aircraft in use
“We are faced with a Spill, which will sooner or later reach our shores,” said France’s environment Minister, François de Rugy of the channel Public Sénat. He feared that it might already be on Sunday or Monday. The authorities would do everything possible “to reduce the extent of the pollution to our shores,” said de Rugy of the TV channel BFM-TV.
According to the Minister for the environment to be used in special ships to combat marine pollution. “If we can do it (the heavy oil) pumping on the sea, we will make it.” The Oil originates, therefore, from the fuel tanks of the freighter. In addition, swimming could be the end of barriers to the use of, the dirt from the coast. First two reconnaissance aircraft to determine whether the Oil slicks from spreading further. The weather conditions were difficult, in the Bay of Biscay sweep is a strong westerly wind, there is a high shaft speed.
According to the Minister no oil Spill after the sinking of the oil tanker “Erika” off the Brittany coast in 1999, but risks. The “Grande America”, was charged according to information from the authorities about 2200 tons of heavy fuel oil in the wreck of the “Erika”, there were around 17,000 tons of Oil into the sea, so, almost eight times as much.
tourist resorts threatened
According to the estimates of the Minister of the environment, de Rugy is at risk on the French Atlantic coast, especially the Region of the Département of Charente-Maritime with the port city of La Rochelle, as well as the Département of Gironde, is situated in the center of Bordeaux. He did not rule out that the Oil could also reach the Spanish Biscay coast. A few weeks before the Easter holidays, the authorities fear an oil Spill is to the popular beaches.
The Hamburg-coming and under the Italian-flagged freighter, was caught on Tuesday in a fire and is about 330 kilometres off the French coast and sank. The content of 45 shipping containers is classified by the authorities as dangerous. On the 214-Meter long ship around 2000 vehicles.
According to the Prefecture, 27 people were on Board the ship, they were rescued by a British ship of war. The “Grande America” was on the way to Casablanca in Morocco.
After the sinking of the cargo ship Grande America – France fears oil Spill
Sabine wax, ARD Paris
14.03.2019 11:14 PM
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