Officials have downgraded expectations of the extent of environmental damage and resulting cleanup costs from the 490,000 bbl spill from the Aegean Sea oil tanker off Spain earlier this month.
Estimates of the extent of pollution lessened as salvage work continued on the oil tanker, which ran aground, split in two, and caught fire Dec. 3 at La Coruna, Northwest Spain (OGJ, Dec. 14, p. 24).
Spanish state oil company Repsol Petroleo SA had chartered the tanker to carry 550,000 bbl of crude from the U.K.'s Sullom Voe terminal to its 135,000 b/d refinery at La Coruna.
ESTIMATES DOWNGRADED
Lloyd's of London said Dec. 15 that the final cost of the cleanup campaign may be less than was at first feared from the tanker. Much of the oil had been burned off in the fire immediately following the collision.
Salvage contractor Smit International, Rotterdam, said Dec. 15 it had started to pump bunker oil from the aft section of the vessel and expected to continue pumping for another 4 days, weather permitting.
On Dec. 14 Smit finished pumping cargo oil from Hold 9, the only intact section. After the accident, the environmental group Greenpeace estimated Hold 9 was loaded with 82,000 bbl of oil. Smit used the Smit Lloyd 119 salvage tug, a helicopter, and a number of 175 bbl capacity tank trucks on the shore during the week's operations. Eighty-four tank truck loads of oil were removed from Hold 9.
The vessel had not moved significantly by Dec. 15, Smit said. Once the remainder of the bunker oil has been pumped off, the aft section of the ship will be skimmed and stripped.
The contractor is discussing salvage plans with the Greek owner, Coulouthros Shipping Ltd., Piraeus. Because the vessel is in two pieces, it can't be refloated, Smit said.
SLICK DIMINISHED
Lloyd's List, London, reported Dec. 15 Spanish government representatives said the oil slick off La Coruna had greatly diminished and some of the tugs drafted in to respond to the emergency were standing down.
Rough weather was breaking up the oil. Cleanup work on beaches along the deeply indented coast also got under way, reported the newspaper, indicating risk of further pollution had diminished. Greenpeace Spain said Dec. 15 that more than 200 km of coastline was affected by spilled oil. The environmental group has a team at La Coruna, working with local fishermen to assess the damage. It expects to complete its damage assessment and prepare a final statement this week.
Lloyd's said the Aegean Sea was insured for $10 million on the London market, while the cargo had been insured in Spain for $11 million. The shipowner's liability is limited to $10 million by international shipping conventions.
CONTAMINATED AREAS
Lloyd's agents identified these areas contaminated by oil:
- An area of about 25,000 sq m on the beach at Mera was contaminated by oil, while nearby Canabal Beach was covered by a thick layer of oil.
- Eres Bay and Lorbe Bay, sites of floating mussel farms, had an emulsified oil patch on the water surface.
- Oil patches tainted San Pedro and Cirro beach areas.
- Traces of oil were reported at El Pedrido, where strong tides broke a boom across the bridge's pillars.
- Large amounts of oil affected beaches at Perbes, Mino, Bobere Haven, and Mugardos.
- Oil patches were seen in Astano SA's construction yard, on Seigo and Maninos beaches. At La Coruna lighthouse, close to the grounded vessel, there were traces of emulsified oil. A thin oil layer covered the north side of Coruna Bay, while inside the harbor were isolated patches of thin oil.
Copyright 1992 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
