Captain of Gibraltar oil spill ship arrested
The captain of a ship that is beached off Gibraltar and spilling oil into waters off the coast of Cádiz has been arrested.
The Royal Police of Gibraltar have arrested the captain of a ship that crashed off the tiny British territory and is spilling oil into nearby Spanish waters.
Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, referred to the captain without naming him during an interview with Spanish outlet RTVE, but confirmed that he had "many questions" to answer after ignoring Gibraltarian authorities in the aftermath of the spill.
READ MORE: Oil leaking from stricken cargo ship off Gibraltar
After the initial collision, the captain attempted to continue the ship's journey, but once in the Bay of Gibraltar reported that he "could not continue" because the boat had "notable" water leaks.
"He didn't stop, he didn't follow the instructions and said he had no damage," Picardo said.
A spokesman for the Gibraltar Police has stated that a detained man is "collaborating with the detectives of the Division of Crimes and Protection Services of the Royal Police of Gibraltar."
The leak
The OS 35 ship, a Tuvalu standard bearer transporting a shipment of steel bars, left the Bay of Algeciras for Vlissingen in the Netherlands on Monday and collided with Adam LNG, a ship flying under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Water entered the ship, which eventually broke down on Thursday afternoon and began leaking oil. The OS35 was carrying around 500 tons of fuel, but it should be noted the ship's cargo was not oil, rather the leak is of its own oil to be used for the journey.
On Thursday authorities began pumping the fuel that was controlled by a floating barrier - known as a 'boom' - that was placed around the ship following the discovery of the leak. On 1st September, the Gibraltar government confirmed that 4,000 litres of oil and water had been recovered from the boom so far.
Picardo confirmed that "from the beginning there has been coordination with Spain" in order to try and stem the spill and clean up waters off both Gibraltar and Spain.
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The Royal Police of Gibraltar have arrested the captain of a ship that crashed off the tiny British territory and is spilling oil into nearby Spanish waters.
Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, referred to the captain without naming him during an interview with Spanish outlet RTVE, but confirmed that he had "many questions" to answer after ignoring Gibraltarian authorities in the aftermath of the spill.
READ MORE: Oil leaking from stricken cargo ship off Gibraltar
After the initial collision, the captain attempted to continue the ship's journey, but once in the Bay of Gibraltar reported that he "could not continue" because the boat had "notable" water leaks.
"He didn't stop, he didn't follow the instructions and said he had no damage," Picardo said.
A spokesman for the Gibraltar Police has stated that a detained man is "collaborating with the detectives of the Division of Crimes and Protection Services of the Royal Police of Gibraltar."
The leak
The OS 35 ship, a Tuvalu standard bearer transporting a shipment of steel bars, left the Bay of Algeciras for Vlissingen in the Netherlands on Monday and collided with Adam LNG, a ship flying under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Water entered the ship, which eventually broke down on Thursday afternoon and began leaking oil. The OS35 was carrying around 500 tons of fuel, but it should be noted the ship's cargo was not oil, rather the leak is of its own oil to be used for the journey.
On Thursday authorities began pumping the fuel that was controlled by a floating barrier - known as a 'boom' - that was placed around the ship following the discovery of the leak. On 1st September, the Gibraltar government confirmed that 4,000 litres of oil and water had been recovered from the boom so far.
Picardo confirmed that "from the beginning there has been coordination with Spain" in order to try and stem the spill and clean up waters off both Gibraltar and Spain.
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