Bulk carrier OS 35 is leaking fuel off Gibraltar coast
A bulk carrier that was beached off the east coast of Gibraltar this week is reportedly leaking heavy fuel oil into the water, with authorities insisting the spill is ‘under control’.
OS 35, which was loaded with steel bars and over 400 tonnes of fuel, clipped the tanker Adam LNG on Tuesday (30 Aug 22) as the former was moving to exit Catalan Bay. The vessel was then safely beached to minimise any risk of it sinking.
Booms were deployed around the beached OS 35, which was sailing under the Tuvalu flag, to prevent any potential fuel spill.
However, an oil spill was reported on Thursday (1 Sep 22), with a salvage team identifying the source of the leak to two tank vents in the ship’s bunker tanks.
OS 35 is a Tuvalu-flagged cargo vessel (Image: Gibraltar Government)
It’s reported that all vents had previously been sealed, but the ship subsequently split, resulting in the release of fuel.
The Gibraltar Ports Authority told media that divers have successfully re-sealed the tanks and were now working on stopping the leak, and insists that the spill is “fully under control”, also the environmental impact of the spill is unclear.
Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, told Spanish broadcaster TVE that the operation to remove around 500 tonnes of the fuel from the ship’s tanks should take around 50 hours using the ship’s own pumps.
