The Gibraltar Port Authority (GPA) informed that a leak of HFO is observed from the grounded bulker “OS 35”. The incident comes as authorities were preparing to remove all oil from the ship.
Earlier, GPA had declared a “major incident,” as the hull of the bulker “OS 35” was ruptured. The declaration focused all the resources on managing the emerging disaster while the neighboring port of Algeciras was also informed and assistance from Salvamento Maritimo was requested.
What is more, further information reports that the bulker has suffered a gash on the starboard side of its hull. In addition, the bow of the vessel settled four feet into the sandy seabed while the stern remained afloat increasing the pressure on the hull.
To prevent an oil spill, GPA had put a containment boom around the vessel and another at the crane, while the salvage team reportedly assessed that it would take at least 50 hours to pump all the fluids off the vessel and it had not begun before the hull ruptured.
Now, authorities decided not to proceed with plans to refloat the bulker. Instead, they will focus on removing the oil from the ship.
The bulker had collided with an LNG carrier on August 30, with the former being ordered to come close to shore to minimise the risk of it sinking.
The vessel was carrying 183 tonnes of heavy fuel oil for its own consumption, alongside 250 tonnes of diesel and 27 tonnes of lube oil, at the time of the collision.