Oil damage|The authorities have had to close beaches in Gran Canaria, popular with tourists, due to an oil spill.
Gran Canaria a state of emergency was declared on the island on Thursday due to an oil spill, and the local authorities have closed several beaches on the island, which is also popular with Finnish tourists.
The damage happened early Thursday morning in Las Palmas, the capital of the Canary Islands, in the port of La Luz, when fuel cargo was being transferred from one ship to another. Up to three tons of IFO 180 quality marine diesel spilled into the sea.
Many news media are reporting on the matter, among others Reuters and appearing in the Canary Islands Canarian Weekly. This was reported in Finland earlier Ilta-Sanomat and Evening newspaper.
Authorities declared a state of emergency later Thursday after a large oil rig reached Bocabarranco’s beach and continued its journey toward the island’s southeast.
The authorities have now closed the beaches of San Borondón, Palos and La Restinga in the municipality of Telde as a precaution.
The oil rig, which is about 2.5 kilometers long and 400 meters wide, is feared to be heading towards the beaches of Jinámar, Tufia and Punta de la Sal next.
Oil spill threatens the islands’ ecosystem. There is also fear on the island that the oil could contaminate drinking and irrigation water.
The authorities have tried to isolate the oil rig so that it does not cause more damage. The cleaning of the coastal areas of Las Palmas and Telde has also already started.
The fighting continued on Friday in “miserable weather”, and the alert status was raised to level 2 in Gran Canaria.
The mayor of Telde municipality Juan Antonio Pena said they are now working around the clock to get the situation under control and the coastal areas cleared.
Canary Islands nature has been tough in recent years. Among other things, the islands have suffered from extreme heat and drought.
In the spring, the local environmental organization warned that the nature of the islands will soon not be able to withstand the ever-growing tourism.
Correction September 6 at 22:53: Corrected diesel oil to marine diesel.
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