A cargo ship loses six containers in December. The cargo is now washed up on the northwest coast of Spain. With devastating effects.
Galicia – Brooms, rakes, shovels and household sieves are used – the work is laborious. Numerous volunteers are trying to free the beaches of the northwest coast of Spain from the “white tide”. This refers to countless plastic balls, so-called pellets, that were washed up by the current. The local authority has declared alert level two of its environmental emergency plans. The reason: toxins in the beads.
Cargo ship loses six containers – contents flood Spain's northwest coast
But how did they get into the sea in the first place? This was the aftermath of a cargo ship accident that occurred on the open sea. Six containers from a Liberian-flagged freighter fell into the sea off the Portuguese coast near Viana do Castelo. How this came about is not yet clear.
One of these containers is said to have contained 1,000 bags, each containing 25 kilograms of pellets. These are now gradually reaching the coast of Spain. There are also indications that some were also carried to France by the current. The affected regions of Galicia and Asturias have already asked the central government in Madrid for help.
Toxins in the plastic beads? Environmental protection organization speaks of “environmental problem”
Prosecutors said the beads could contain toxins, which could cause major environmental damage. The investigation into this is still ongoing.
“These small plastic balls are an environmental problem because fish mistake them for fish eggs and eat them, so they enter the food chain and end up on our plates,” said the spokesman for the Spanish environmental protection organization Ecologistas en Acción, Cristobal Lopez. The environmental organization Greenpeace estimates the total number of balls to be several million. A catastrophe for the ecosystem on the coast of Spain.
Shipping company Maerks confirms the incident – the Environment Minister speaks of one of humanity's biggest problems
The shipping company Maerks itself confirmed that six containers fell off the ship on December 8th on the way from the Spanish port of Algeciras to Rotterdam. However, the incident was immediately reported to the Spanish and Portuguese coast guards. The shipping company also commissioned specialist companies to remove the pellets. However, according to Maersk, none of the six containers contain dangerous goods.
Spanish Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said the contamination of oceans and ecosystems with microplastics is one of humanity's biggest problems. “The release of such a large amount of plastic must therefore be closely monitored to determine whether the transport company and shipping company have taken the correct precautions,” she said in the daily News.
After the oil tanker accident in 2002: Another ecological disaster for the region?
The plastic balls are not biodegradable. If they are not removed properly, they remain in the environment. Another ecological catastrophe is looming in Galicia. In 2002, an oil tanker was caught in a storm and capsized. At that time, around 64,000 tons of oil polluted the sea and the coast of Spain and France. (mg)
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