Fears of fuel leak after two vessels collide near Gibraltar

MADRID: The emergency services are operating round all hours to prevent an environmental catastrophe of fuel leakage in the port of Gibraltar following an accident between two Vessels the port authority stated.

There is a possibility that the bulk carrier OS 35 is close to breaking in half and release fuel into the bay of Gibraltar after it struck the vessel carrying it Adam LNG, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Gibraltar Port Authority in the British Crown Colony informed on Wednesday afternoon that the hull of the OS 35, registered in Tuvalu, a Pacific Island state of Tuvalu had been damaged however the two parts were not split.The Adam LNG, registered in the Marshall Islands, suffered only minor damage in the collision.

Booms were placed on top of the bulk vehicle in order to block any oil that may leak from the tanks.Meanwhile, all 24 crew members as well as six experts who had been assessing the damages on board were evacuated the port authority announced on Thursday.

The port authority said that some lubricants were escaping from a crane that was on the bow of the vessel, but were held by the main boom.Additional booms have been put in place , while plans are being finalized to transfer the 400 tonnes of fuel oil onto barges.

In addition, all other activities in the Port of Gibraltar have been suspended because of the delicate nature of the operation.The Spanish maritime rescue teams are also providing assistance.