Gibraltar police arrest man in connection with ship collision, oil leak

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Police in Gibraltar said on Thursday that they have arrested a man in connection with a cargo ship collision that has shut down the territory's port and caused an oil spill.

According to Gibraltar's national broadcaster GBC, the man arrested was the cargo ship's captain.

Overnight Tuesday, the cargo ship carrying steel rebar and more than 400 tons of oil and diesel clipped a liquefied natural gas tanker while leaving the Gibraltar port.

The collision damaged the cargo ship, which partially sank and remains beached outside Gibraltar's Catalan Bay.

On Wednesday afternoon, the ship's hull broke before any fuel was removed.

Soon after, lube oil began leaking into the nearby waters, triggering the Gibraltar government to declare a "major incident."

Authorities had already deployed booms to contain fuel leakage, and more equipment is expected to arrive from the UK on Sunday.

By 2 p.m. (1200GMT) on Wednesday, the captain of the Gibraltar Port confirmed that the leak was under control. According to a statement, the top priority is now collecting the fuel from the sea, including that which has escaped the booms.

More than 4,000 liters (1,056 gallons) of oil and water have already been pulled from the sea.

Authorities also said Wednesday afternoon that they have started an operation to pump the diesel out of the half-sunken ship.

Gibraltar is a tiny British outpost located at the southern tip of Spain and has long been the subject of territorial disputes.

The mayor of the nearby Spanish city of Algeciras has slammed the Gibraltar government for how it has handled the crisis.

"What we know about the incident is what Gibraltar tells us, and they always say things very late, causing us to waste precious time that could be used for taking action," Jose Ignacio Landaluce told local radio station Canal Sur Radio on Thursday.

"Gibraltar should let itself receive help," he continued. "Their attitude of not letting anyone into the waters they say are theirs is negligent because the environmental damage affects everyone."

Landaluce added that instead of asking Spain for help, Gibraltar authorities are in touch with a Dutch company, which still has not arrived. Likewise, he said specialized Spanish divers could have evaluated the situation, but Gibraltar authorities are still looking for divers elsewhere.

Gibraltar's population is just over 30,000 people, but its strategic port on the crossroads of the Mediterranean and Atlantic is of major importance for global shipping.

According to the port authority, around 60,000 vessels transit the Strait of Gibraltar each year, and the port is the largest bunkering port in the Mediterranean.

While the port remains closed as its workers focus on the beached cargo ship and clean-up, some activities have continued, such as a cruise ship arriving on Thursday.