gran canaria marine pollution alert diesel spill

Fuel spill prompts marine pollution alert in Gran Canaria

Pre-alert declared for marine pollution in Gran Canaria

The Canary Islands government’s Directorate General for Emergencies has declared a pre-alert for a marine pollution episode in Gran Canaria, effective from 1pm on Monday, 20 July. The decision was taken under the Canary Islands Territorial Civil Protection Emergency Plan (PLATECA), based on the information available.

Twenty litres of diesel leaked at Puerto de La Luz

In a statement, the regional government reported that the Emergency and Security Coordination Centre (CECOES) 1-1-2 received a call at around 1.09pm on Sunday from the Port Authority, alerting them to a spill of 20 litres of diesel at the Port of La Luz and Las Palmas. It is in this area that the pre-alert has been declared.

In response, the facility responsible for the spill immediately activated its own emergency plan, as well as the Maritime Interior Plan (PIM) at alert phase. Containment booms and absorbent devices were deployed around the perimeter of the spill.

Emergency situation escalates as leak proves difficult to contain

By Monday at 9.30am, the PIM was upgraded to an emergency phase (situation 1) due to difficulties in controlling the fuel leak. The responsible facility was asked to provide additional resources. The Maritime Authority also confirmed that the National Maritime Plan had been activated at alert phase since 1.30pm on Sunday.

Consequently, the Directorate General for Emergencies has activated PLATECA at pre-alert level to ensure coordination between different administrative bodies and agencies, and to make available the necessary resources for proper monitoring of the situation.

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