Oil spill dissipates off Spain's Mediterranean coast

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

Tarragona, Spain - An oil spill from an offshore platform has apparently dissipated on the open sea, authorities in the Spanish port city of Tarragona reported Saturday.

The officials in the northeastern Mediterranean coastal city said they were declaring the danger of oil pollution to the area after winds from the mainland helped to disperse the oil.

But as a precautionary measure two special ships would continue to patrol the waters off the island of Mallorca to keep an eye out for any oil that might appear.

The crude oil spill originated from an offshore platform of the Spanish company Repsol, creating a 19-square-kilometer oil slick. The incident was put down to human error, after a valve on the oil platform was accidentally opened.

Tarragona harbor officials say 120 to 180 tons of oil escaped, while Repsol put the figure at 30 to 60 tons.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359669,dissipates-spains-mediterranean-coast.html.