Teams have been rushing to pump fuel off of a grounded ship after it collided with a gas tanker off of Gibraltar and began leaking fuel oil into the sea. There was a significant leak from the OS 35 on Thursday and booms were deployed to prevent the oil spreading. 80% of the ship’s diesel fuel had been removed by Friday morning.
The chief minister of the UK has described the next 48 hours as crucial. Workers will begin pumping the ship’s heavy fuel oil, which is the most polluting fuel on board. No one was injured in the collision late on Monday, and at first continued on its journey towards the Strait of Gibraltar. As the ship began taking on water, Gibraltar officials decided to run the carrier aground to prevent it from sinking. The ship was beached on the east side of the Rock off Catalan Bay, but oil had seeped around the southernmost tip of Gibraltar after oil began seeping into the sea on Wednesday.
Read More: Crucial hours as fuel removed from stricken ship in Gibraltar
