A Gibraltar se unieron representantes de la Asociación de Territorios de Ultramar del Reino Unido ( UKOTA ), Alderney , Anguila , Bermudas , Islas Vírgenes Británicas , Islas Caimán , Islas Malvinas , Guernsey , Isla de Man , Jersey , Montserrat , Pitcairn , Santa Helena , Tristán da Cunha , Turcas y Caicos . La secretaría corrió a cargo del Foro de Conservación de los Territorios de Ultramar del Reino Unido ( UKOTCF ).
SEVEN SISTERS MARINE RESERVE SEVERELY AFFECTED BY OS 35 SPILL
Just a few days after the annual Clean Up the World campaign at the end of September , which saw large amounts of rubbish removed from various natural and coastal spots around Gibraltar , the shoreline of Seven Sisters was found covered in oil from the OS 35 spill .
The Department of Environment , together with OSRL , local NGOs , ESG and the Nautilus Project began clean-up operations immediately , but due to the extent of the damage , clean-up operations are ongoing .
In the weeks following the OS 35 incident , oil was found at various coastal sites around Gibraltar , with booms deployed to protect beaches such as Little Bay , Rosia and Catalan Bay . Oil damage was also found at the natural and historically significant Gorham ’ s Cave site . It was thought that containment efforts were now under control , however ,
more oil escaped the beached bulk carrier following heavy swells . Compounded by strong easterly winds , the oil spread across Gibraltar ’ s coastline , heavily affecting the protected marine reserve of Seven Sisters , as well as Rosia Bay , Eastern Beach , Sandy Bay and Little Bay . The booms around the vessel have now been replaced .
Initial attempts to skim oil from the area were unfortunately unsuccessful . Instead , the EPRU vessel had to use backwash methods to attempt to disperse the oil away from the Seven Sisters site .
Thanks to the efforts of the volunteers that removed large amounts of rubbish from Seven Sisters for Clean up the World , the operation to access the damage and begin cleaning the significant amount of oil was made easier .
In a statement , the Environmental Safety Group said : “ This is very bad news for the area , which has a thriving ecosystem and Marine Reserve , it is an area where fishing is forbidden , and many can enjoy the rich marine life present via the Thinking Green underwater camera situated here .
“ While warnings had been issued regarding the potential for such pollution from the OS 35 to still occur , it was nevertheless shocking to witness Seven Sisters heavily tarred in this way ”.
When clean-up efforts began , the extent of the damage was very evident . “ It was very sad to see the impact on the species that live in this intertidal zone , with many volunteers going across many affected by oil ”.
OTWO 40 / NOVEMBER 2022 13