An oil spill in the Bahía de Algeciras has reached Poniente beach in La Línea de la Concepción according to the environmental group Ecologists in Action.
The spill was discovered at around 10:15 on Sunday morning and the Marine Rescue service dispatched a vessel to check and locate the source of any spill. The culprit turned out to be the vessel CEIN I, anchored near the Port of Gibraltar. It was berthed alongside a barge and a cleaning ship from Gibraltar and a retaining barrier was in place to prevent leakage.
During the day, the Marine Rescue vessel and a plane scoured the area and reported no ‘serious’ oil slicks. However, oil has reached the beach of Poniente and has affected about 800 metres of coastline.
The offending vessel is being detained by the Port Authority in Gibraltar pending the payment of a bond to cover any possible environmental damage.