-Caveat Lector- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2487739.stm
Tuesday, 19 November, 2002, 08:32 GMT Stricken oil tanker breaks up http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38476000/gif/_38476167_spain_galicia_boat_150.gif Oil is being washed up on Galicia's beaches A stricken tanker which has been leaking oil off the north-west coast of Spain has broken in two, officials say. "The ship split in two at 8 o'clock this morning (0700 GMT)," a spokeswoman for the regional government in Galicia told Reuters news agency. Correspondents say this raises fears that the spill from the Bahamas-flagged Prestige will be harder to contain. Many seabirds have been affected by the disaster The tanker, which got into difficulties in heavy seas nearly a week ago, has already spilt several thousand metric tons of oil into the sea. Much of it has washed up on Galicia's beaches and fishing ports, causing huge environmental damage. Environmentalists have warned that if the ship spills her entire 77,000- ton load, the resulting damage could be twice that of the Exxon Valdez disaster off the coast of Alaska in 1989 - one of the worst ever. On Monday. tugs pulled the vessel tanker into calmer Portuguese waters, in an effort to prevent further environmental damage. The owners of the tanker had reportedly said they would apply to dock in a Portuguese port, but the country's Prime Minister, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, said the Prestige would not be allowed into any port in Portugal. "Our intention is obviously not to give authorisation to dock because this ship is the cause of an ecological disaster," he said. The salvage firm had hoped to transfer the oil aboard the prestige to another tanker. The Prestige hull cracked during a storm last Wednesday, allowing oil to leak through a 35- metre gash in its side. Fishing banned The ship was reported to be losing more oil on Monday, although at a slower rate than on previous days. This is a disaster for the whole village - it will ruin whole families Retired fisherman Jose Carrapero Spanish Government officials had expressed optimism that efforts to stem the flow of oil would be successful. "If no more fuel hits the coast, the ongoing clean- up could be finished in a month," said regional councillor Enrique Lopez Veiga. But strong winds hampered salvage efforts. The Spanish authorities have suspended fishing along the 100-kilometre stretch of coastline from Roncudo to Cape Tourinan. The government has promised financial compensation for losses sustained by local fishermen. Whole communities depend on fishing in the area, which is famous for its shellfish, octopus and crabs. "This is a disaster for the whole village. It will ruin whole families," said retired fisherman Jose Carrapero. As local residents pushed ahead with an emergency clean-up operation, other European countries offered assistance in response to a Spanish appeal. "Numerous European Union member-states have offered to provide vessels and equipment," said a spokesperson from the European Environment Commission. Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar - under fire from environmentalists for what they consider to be a timid response to the disaster - vowed to make whoever was responsible pay for Spain's worst shipping disaster in 10 years. Coast of death The captain of the vessel, which was registered in the Bahamas, has been remanded in custody with bail set at 3m euros ($3m). Apostolos Mangouras is accused of failing to co- operate with salvage crews and harming the environment. Spain's north-west coastline is known as the "Coast of Death" because of the many shipwrecks that have occurred there. The worst in recent years was in 1992, when the Greek tanker Aegean Sea lost 74,000 tonnes of crude oil when it ran aground near La Coruna. WATCH/LISTEN ON THIS STORY The BBC's Clare Marshall "As thousands of tonnes of oil comes ashore all fishing has been banned" The BBC's Danny Wood "The oil tanker has now been towed into international waters" Sebastian Losada of Greenpeace "What we are seeing is the effect of five thousand tonnes of oil" E-mail this story to a friend <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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