According to the Gibraltar Port Authority, as a result of the adverse weather conditions at sea last week, the OS 35 has shifted slightly from its position and separated further in the area of the hull previously damaged.
Oil residue has escaped from the ship. Fortunately, all possible extractable oil was removed from the OS 35 last year, and this observed oil is residues contained in this duct which is at the very bottom of the vessel’s structure, according to Gibraltar Port Authority.
Over the weekend, the Authority took part in cleaning operations and was successful in handling most of the spill. Gibraltar Port Authority claims there is no indication of any further leaks of oil from the wreck of the OS 35.
The public was asked to exercise caution as, although the risk of this is low, the possibility remains that further tar balls may still wash up on shore. Further sections of the coastline and beaches may be cordoned off if oil is detected. Bathing was permitted at each person’s own risk.
The Port Authority reminded in a statement that the Boom surrounding the OS 35 had been removed in anticipation of the adverse weather conditions, since the boom would not have been effective in these weather conditions and would have likely been torn apart and would have only added to further risk of secondary contamination.
It is therefore not possible to reinstall the boom surrounding the vessel until such time as the weather conditions improve, Gibraltar Port Authority noted.
To remind:
The OS 35 bulker was breached on August 30, 2022 after it collided with an LNG carrier. OS 35 was ordered to come close to shore to minimize the risk of it sinking. As the vessel was beginning to break apart, the major concern then was the 183 tons of heavy fuel oil, 250 tons of diesel, and 27 tons of lube oil aboard the vessel.
The Gibraltar Port Authority put a containment boom around the vessel and another at the crane, while the salvage team assessed that it would take at least 50 hours to pump all the fluids off the vessel. The ship was leaking hydraulic fluid from the forward crane and the Port abandoned all thoughts of refloating the bulker. Instead, they focused on removing the oil from the ship.
At the start of 2023, salvage operations started off Gibraltar to remove the wreck of the bulker OS 35 by May 30, 2023. The team was working to remove two additional booms so that they would be able to gain access to the cargo holds. However, On February 21st of 2023, after bad weather tar balls were detected in Catalan Bay and the boom was redeployed around the OS 35.
