Stranded Ship Off Gibraltar Threatens Fuel Spill, Risking Costa del Sol and Moroccan Coasts

The situation of the ship "has remained stable" from Wednesday night to Thursday, according to the Government Contingency Council (CCG), and the surveillance carried out using drones and thermal images from land "has not revealed significant changes." The mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, Juan Franco, hopes that the fuel spill from the ship stranded off the east coast of Gibraltar will not reach his beaches and "the Costa del Sol." For its part, the Gibraltar government plans to start extracting the fuel from this ship on Thursday, reports La Voz del Sur.

Experts fear that a worsening of weather conditions could further damage the structure of the stranded ship, which was examined this Thursday morning by specialists. "The latest images at 9:30 a.m. show showers moving towards northern Morocco. These could bring light rain to Gibraltar in the next few hours," according to the official Gibraltar weather service.

All efforts will be made to remove the lubricating oil spilled into the sea, it is assured. "OS 35 is already surrounded by an ocean barrier that should contain any hydrocarbon spills that may occur. There does not appear to have been any hydrocarbon spills," said Fabian Picardo, the CCG president, who exchanged on the issue with Vice Admiral David Steel.

Under the provisions of the Civil Contingencies Act, a state of emergency (MAJAX) has been declared and all available resources will be allocated to this emergency. All other daily operations of the Port of Gibraltar have been interrupted to ensure the availability of resources. The Algeciras city council has activated the local action plan against coastal pollution in anticipation of any environmental incidents caused by the situation.