Three leaks have been detected during an inspection of the Russian trawler Oleg Naydenov that sank on April 14th some 15 miles off Punta Maspalomas, the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands Government and the Ministry of Environment said they were working on collecting the hydrocarbon residues on the beaches of Veneguera, Tasarte and Taurito, where initial estimates show that around 120 kilos of oil washed out.
According to Spain’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport, technicians from the Canary government are at the scene of the wreck taking samples and trying to contain the leak.
Authorities have been using an ROV to survey the wreck and try to seal the three leaks.
The estimated leakage flow is said to range between 5 and 10 liters per hour.
The wreck inspection report also points out that the trawler remains in a stable position on its keel, however that the inspection of its state is only possible from the port side, so there could be other leaks still undetected.
The trawler had been burning for days after a fire that started in the engine room April 11 spread throughout the vessel which was at the time loaded with cardboard.
At the time of the incident, Oleg Naydenov was docked at the port of Las Palmas.
After failed attempts to contain the fire, the authorities decided to tow the burning trawler some 20 miles offshore, fearing that the ship’s fuel tanks might explode or that the vessel might sink in the port due to the large amounts of water used to contain the fire.
The trawler sank with around with 1,409 tons of fuel inside the tanks to a depth of 2,400 meters.
The environmental organization Greenpeace has criticized Spanish authorities for towing the trawler Oleg Naydenov from the port of Las Palmas to the open seas saying that the ship poses an environmental threat to the habitat.
Greenpeace added that the fuel tanks might have already released the fuel under the immense pressure.
Television images showed oil floating on the water, forming a 3.7-mile slick close to tourist beaches, confirming that the tanks have cracked underwater.
World Maritime News Staff; Image & Video: salvamentomaritimo