Bunker Fuel Spill Closes Port of Gibraltar

Operations at the Port of Gibraltar are on hold after a bunker fuel spill from a ship anchored in the Bay of Gibraltar.

The spill occurred at approximately 8:22 a.m. on Tuesday morning in the southern part of the Western Anchorage during a ship-to-ship refueling operation involving the Panama-flagged LPG tanker Gas Venus.

Gibraltar’s national broadcaster, GBC News, is reporting that the 56-year-old Captain of the tanker has been arrested. 

The oil spill has closed some area beaches as oil washed ashore.

The port authority said impacts are limited to Camp Bay and Rosia Bay and the immediate vicinity, as confirmed by drone footage and an overflight. “There have not been any sightings of any free floating streaks of oil moving away from this area, however this is being continuously monitored and may change with the tides,” the Gibraltar Port Authority said.

The amount of oil spilled has not yet been determined.

Gibraltar-based charity The Nautilus Project posted photos of the spill on social media, noting that the spill comes on the heels of the removal of the OS 35 shipwreck:

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