Pollution

Citation

(2003), "Pollution", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 12 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2003.07312dac.003

Pollution

Pollution

28 August 2002 – New Carissa (Panama)

State lawyers are seeking $50 million in damages from the owners of wood-chip New Carissa that went aground on the North Spit of Coos Bay in 1999. They say the owners helped prevent a contractor from trying to remove the ship's stern from waters outside Coos Bay in 2000. The punitive damages would be on top of a request in earlier filings for a court order to remove the stern and payment of $1,500 per day in "storage charges" dating to 4 February 1999, the day the ship went aground, and continuing for each day the wreck remains on the beach. As of today, those costs would total $1,387,500. A motion to amend the original lawsuit to include the claim for punitive damages will be argued in a telephone conference hearing on Friday in the courtroom of Coos County Circuit Court Judge Richard Barron. A trial has been set for October but the defendants are seeking to have that date postponed. The proposed lawsuit amendment says Donjon/Devine Joint Venture, the contractor on the stern-removal effort, was ready to go to work in May 2000 but that the New Carissa ownership prohibited it. An affidavit in support of the motion to amend the lawsuit quotes a letter from a Donjon/Devine attorney to an insurance representative for the ship saying the defendants were not allowing the salvage contractor to return to work to save "approximately $3 million". Later, the state said, the Donjon/Devine contract was amended to pay the company to help the New Carissa owners keep the stern on the spit.

11 October 2002 – Governor John Kitzhaber told a Coos County jury yesterday that owners of wood-chip New Carissa promised in 1999 to remove the shipwreck from Oregon's southern coast. Four years later, the stern section remains mired in sand near Coos Bay. Kitzhaber spent nearly two hours testifying about the need to protect Oregon's beaches, his transactions with the ship's owners and his view that the wreckage can be safely removed. Kitzhaber said the case is about more than removing a wrecked ship. "It is the integrity of Oregon beaches, and whether we're going to uphold the spirit and the letter of Oregon's beach laws," he testified. Kitzhaber said the case needs to set a precedent that shipping companies would not be allowed to leave their wrecks to litter Oregon beaches. The lawsuit asks the court to order removal of the 1,500ton stern section. If the owners would not remove it, the state wants an award equal to the $25 million cost of removal and restoration. In addition, the state is asking for a "storage" charge of $1,500 a day, which to date amounts to about $1.9 milion. A month after New Carissa grounded, Kitzhaber sent a letter to the owners' attorney formally requesting that they remove the wreck. Nearly three weeks later, the attorney, Robert Sanders, responded in writing: "I have been authorised to assure you that Green Atlas Shipping will remove the stern section from the beach as you requested." Kitzhaber said yesterday he trusted that the stern would be gone in 1999. Seven months later, he learned efforts to remove the wreckage had failed. Attorneys for Taiheyo Kaiun, a parent company to the ship's owner and operator, said yesterday that the company has determined it is too dangerous to remove the stern. Kitzhaber disagreed. "We believe it is, in fact, possible to remove the wreck safely." Titan Marine, a company interested in removing the stern, has a good safety record, Kitzhaber said. But Taiheyo Kaiun's attorney, Roman Silberfeld, said salvage workers have died in the past, and he suggested the governor is willing to risk more lives to remove the New Carissa wreckage. Kitzhaber acknowledged risks, but he countered that the stern poses risks every day to local residents and tourists. About three weeks remain in the month-long trial.

11 September 2002 – Jolly Rubino (Italy)

Understand that ro/ro Jolly Rubino (29,119gt, built 1978) has caught fire off Richards Bay, South Africa. The vessel loaded general cargo at Durban and departed Durban for Mombasa on 10 September. The crew have apparently been removed from the vessel.

SMIT Salvage BV was awarded LOF 2000 by owners of ro/ro Jolly Rubino currently on fire off Richards Bay with crew taken off. SMIT's ARTS Pentow Service with team as well as tug Wolraad Woltemade are proceeding to the casualty. Preparations are ongoing, both in Cape Town as well as Rotterdam, for mobilisation of additional salvage equipment and personnel.

Master, officers and crew of ro/ro Jolly Rubino, abandoned ship late yesterday after failing to extinguish a fire in the engine-room. The vessel, en route to Mombasa, left Durban yesterday morning. It is reported that all on-board personnel have been airlifted to Richards Bay. SMIT Salvage personnel are en route the scene; the company having been awarded a Lloyd's Open Form (with SCOPIC) contract early today. Anchor handler tug Pentow Service, carrying a three-man dive team, departed Durban at 0100, local time, and arrived on the scene, some 20 miles south of Richards Bay, at 0900, local, this morning. Prevailing weather conditions, with an 8-9m swell, prevent personnel from boarding the burning vessel and the Pentow Service remains in the vicinity. A salvage team has departed Cape Town for Durban and will be airlifted to the scene by helicopter within the next three to four hours. The team is comprised of a salvage master, an assistant salvage master, a salvage engineer and three divers. Tug Wolraad Woltemade departed Cape Town at 0130, local time, today and is expected to arrive on the scene early Friday (13 September). The oil pollution abatement vessel Kuswag I sailed from Durban at 0930, local time, today, en route Jolly Rubino and the oil pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII will arrive in Durban later today and will fly regular pollution monitoring patrols over the casualty. A salvage plan will be formulated once a full inspection of the vessel has been completed by the SMIT Salvage team.

11 September 2002 – Rescuers airlifted 22 Italian sailors to safety late yesterday after a fire disabled ro/ro Jolly Rubino off Richards Bay, a port official said today. The sailors were plucked from the deck of the vessel in a daring three-hour helicopter rescue. "We could see even from the port that the vessel was on fire. I think that they were carrying some flammable material – there were containers exploding," said harbour master Mike Brophy. The Italian-flagged vessel was still burning tonight, but it posed no threat to other vessels, Brophy said. "It is drifting, still on fire, but I think that once the containers with flammable material have all gone up it will calm down," he said. Brophy said the roll-on, roll-off vessel had been sailing with a mixed cargo from Durban to Mombasa, Kenya.

12 September 2002 – SMIT Salvage can confirm that ro/ro Jolly Rubino is presently moving parrallel to and away from the Kwa-Zulu-Natal coastline in a northeasterly direction at a distance of six miles; the effect of the wind, recorded at 60mph, overriding the effect of the current. Its position is being continuously monitored by the anchor handler Pentow Service, which remained in the vicinity of the casualty overnight. Speculation that the Jolly Rubino is drifting towards the environmentally sensitive St Lucia area would, given current reports on the casualty's position, appear to be unfounded. However, salvors continue to monitor the situation closely. Yesterday, extreme weather conditions, continued burning and intense heat aboard the Jolly Rubino prevented a SMIT Salvage team from boarding the abandoned vessel. An afternoon helicopter flight to the casualty to transfer SMIT Salvage personnel on board proved unsuccessful as swells in excess of 10m and the vessel rolling through 80ú at times made hoisting conditions dangerous. With the nature of the smoke emanating from the vessel as yet undetermined, it was deemed unsafe for personnel to board the vessel. The team returned to Durban and are assessing the situation again this morning in the hope that weather conditions will facilitate the transfer of SMIT Salvage personnel to the casualty. Pictures taken yesterday would indicate that the fire has spread significantly since late Tuesday (10 September), with damage caused by explosions of unknown origin visible on the bow. Flames and thick smoke were reported and fire damage to the vessel would appear to be extensive. A risk fire expert, together with additional salvage specialists, arrived from The Netherlands this morning to join the SMIT Salvage team in Durban. The SMIT anchor handler Pentow Service remained in the vicinity, some 20 miles south of Richards Bay, overnight and will continue to monitor the situation during the course of the day today. The salvage tug Wolraad Woltemade is expected to arrive early tomorrow morning. The oil pollution abatement vessel Kuswag I remains in the vicinity and the oil pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII will overfly the scene regularly. A salvage plan will be formulated once a full inspection of the vessel has been completed by the SMIT Salvage team. SMIT Salvage was awarded a Lloyd's Open Form (with SCOPIC) by the vessel's owners.

12 September 2002 – SMIT Salvage can confirm that ro/ro Jolly Rubino has run aground off Cape St Lucia on the Kwa-Zulu-Natal coast in adverse weather conditions. The situation regarding her position changed dramatically during the course of the day today, the vessel eventually running aground approximately one nautical mile northeast of the lighthouse at 1505hrs. SMIT Salvage personnel are overflying the grounded and still burning vessel in order to evaluate the present situation. Salvage tug Wolraad Woltemade is expected to arrive early tomorrow morning and anchor handling tug/supply Pentow Service is on site and continues to monitor the situation closely. The oil pollution abatement vessel Kuswag I remains in the vicinity and the oil pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII will overfly the scene this evening to assess the situation with respect to possible pollution. Jolly Rubino has approximately 1,100 tonnes of fuel oil and 225 tonnes of gas oil on board. A salvage plan will be formulated once the team are able to board Jolly Rubino and a full inspection of the vessel has been completed. SMIT Salvage was awarded a Lloyd's Open Form (with SCOPIC) by the vessel's owners. This morning, the SMIT Salvage team flew to the casualty in order to evaluate the situation. A member of the team was lowered above the Jolly Rubino from the helicopter but could not be landed due to the heavy rolling of the vessel. The temperature on deck was measured as 90ú and the situation on board was deemed life threatening – ongoing explosions still being experienced and smoke and flame emanating from below deck. Jolly Rubino is reported to be carrying an unknown quantity of hazardous cargo (class 3).

12 September 2002 – Ro/ro Jolly Rubino, containing an unknown quantity of class 3 hazardous material, has run aground off Cape St Lucia on the Kwa-Zulu-Natal north coast in adverse weather conditions, salvage company SMIT Salvage confirmed this evening. The vessel's position changed dramatically during the course of Thursday with the burning vessel gradually drifting away from the coast in a northeasterly direction this morning and by noon moving parallel to and away from the Kwa-Zulu-Natal coastline at a distance of 9.6km. However, the effect of a 96kmh wind apparently overrode the southerly currents and the vessel eventually ran aground about one nautical mile from the Cape St Lucia lighthouse at 1500hrs, according to SMIT Salvage. A salvage plan will be formulated once the team is able to board the vessel and a full inspection is completed.

13 September 2002 – The Kuswag VII oil pollution patrol aircraft overflew ro/ro Jolly Rubino this morning and reports that fingers/tendrils of oil are emanating from the grounded vessel; a light 10m-wide slick lying parallel to the coast approximately 100m from the beach moving northwards. This slick begins to dissipate approximately one mile from the casualty and is broken up at a distance of three miles, at this stage about 50m off the beach. The aircraft will overfly the casualty again this afternoon to monitor the situation with respect to oil on the water. The oil pollution abatement vessel Kuswag I remains in the vicinity – the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism co-ordinating oil spill response plans. The SMIT Salvage team flew by helicopter to the grounded vessel early this morning in an attempt to evaluate its present condition. The vessel is carrying approximately 1,100 tonnes of fuel oil and 225 tonnes of gas oil and is badly damaged as a result of the fire, numerous explosions and the grounding. The on-board fire is smouldering, causing large plumes of steam to rise from the casualty. This morning, temperatures on deck in excess of 300úC were reported as measured by remote sensing equipment. A member of the salvage team was lowered onto the vessel this morning, however due to the adverse sea and weather conditions as well as the inability of the helicopter to safely manoeuvre between stays, masts and aerials, the situation was deemed life threatening and the attempt to land salvage personnel aborted. The priority of SMIT Salvage remains to safely land a team on board the vessel and to commence with fire-fighting operations. Once the on-board fire is under control, a full inspection of the vessel will be undertaken and a plan for the removal of on-board fuel implemented. The salvage tug Wolraad Woltemade arrived on site in the early hours of this morning.

13 September 2002 – SMIT Salvage team was able to board ro/ro Jolly Rubino this afternoon. They conducted a brief survey of the vessel, however, conditions on board, with temperatures in excess of 400úC in places, were deemed unsafe and the team will review the situation again in the morning. The vessel is carrying approximately 1,100 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 225 tonnes of gas oil and is badly damaged as a result of the fire, numerous explosions and the grounding. Oil pollution abatement vessel Kuswag I remains in the vicinity – the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism co-ordinating oil spill response plans. The priority of SMIT Salvage is to get the fire under control and to commence with fire-fighting operations. Once this has been done, a full inspection of the vessel will be undertaken and a plan for the removal of on-board fuel implemented.

14 September 2002 – The SMIT Salvage team departed Richards Bay at 0930, local time, today, en route to ro/ro Jolly Rubino in an attempt to re-board her. Salvage personnel are kitted out with protective fire suits and breathing apparatus in order that a more comprehensive survey of the vessel can be completed and a salvage plan formulated. Yesterday afternoon, salvage personnel were lowered onto the vessel and a survey of the accommodation was carried out. However, intense heat and thick smoke made the completion of a full survey impossible and thick pockets of carbon monoxide gas make conditions on board without breathing apparatus untenable. The team went on deck and by means of thermal imaging equipment established that temperatures ranging from 90úC to in excess of 400úC are still evident on board. The salvage master considered the conditions life threatening and the team and the rescued ship's dog were evacuated from the vessel. Prior to evacuating, they were able to remove stays, aerials and masts from the monkey island (uppermost deck) in order to make helicopter access safer. The priority of SMIT Salvage is to commence with fire-fighting operations. Once the fire is under control, a full inspection of the vessel will be undertaken and a plan for the removal of on-board fuel implemented. The vessel is carrying approximately 1,100 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 225 tonnes of gas oil and is badly damaged as a result of the fire, numerous explosions and the grounding. This morning, the Kuswag VII oil pollution patrol aircraft reported that "fingers" of black, streaky oil, 5-10m wide, are emanating from both sides of Jolly Rubino in the midships area. The oil is moving offshore for about 2.5 miles due to the offshore wind blowing. The oil pollution abatement vessel Kuswag I and the anchor handler Pentow Service are running through the oil in order to assist in breaking it up. A survey was done of the Lake St Lucia estuary and it is reported to be clear at this point. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is co-ordinating oil spill response plans. The salvage tug Wolraad Woltemade remains on site.

14 September 2002 – Salvage workers have boarded ro/ro Jolly Rubino, burning off South Africa's eastern coast, in an effort to contain an oil slick which is already seven miles long. The deserted freighter is beached close to the St Lucia estuary, which is home to the St Lucia Wetland Park, teeming with rare birds and wildlife. Conservationists have begun a mammoth effort to block the mouth of the River Umfolozi with sand to prevent oil drifting into the World Heritage site. The salvage workers aboard the Jolly Rubino are trying to reach the engine-room in the hope of finding a way of pumping more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel off the vessel before it breaks up. But work to extinguish the blaze can only start once the temperature begins to drop. The vessel is listing to one side and is being pounded by huge waves. Fuel is streaming out of one tank but the real fear is that the vessel will break up, releasing the fuel and dangerous chemicals into the sea. A wide range of wildlife, from whales to pelican storks and rare turtles, are at risk if the slick gets through to the wetlands. Disaster management official Sipho Magwaza said the effort to protect the park had been encouraged today by a drop in the wind. "The threat of the slick spreading is less likely," the official said. Bulldozers are pushing sand into the river, which is also being filled with sand-bags. The authorities have warned the public that the vessel is also carrying a container filled with highly toxic chemicals. Richard's Bay harbour master Mike Brophy said about 70 containers, many of them containing the toxic chemical phenol, found in resins and household appliances which may cause muscle weakness and tremors, loss of co-ordination, paralysis, convulsions, coma and respiratory arrest, had washed overboard. "Wherever these containers wash up, people must not touch them as they are extremely hazardous," said Mr Brophy.

15 September 2002 – This morning the SMIT Salvage team, comprised of 11 salvage personnel, boarded ro/ro Jolly Rubino in order to complete several tasks. A SMIT bracket was welded onto the deck. This is a piece of equipment that facilitates a towing arrangement far quicker than the customary method. It has a safe working load of approximately 300 tonnes. At a later stage of the operation, the towing chain will be connected to this bracket. An attempt was also made to take soundings on the lower deck via the air ventilation shaft on the main deck to determine if any water was present in the lower deck area. The reason for this is that a great amount of water on the lower deck can create free surface movement, which could capsize the vessel should it be re-floated. Efforts in this regard were hampered by intense heat and obstructions in the ventilation shaft. At present the grounded vessel is still intact but its condition is critical. Should another storm hit the coast there is a possibility that the vessel will break up. If this were to happen, the 500 tons of heavy fuel oil in the fuel tanks will be released. This would create an oil slick on the sea surface, with the burned contents on the cargo decks posing a greater threat to the environment than the heavy fuel. It is for these reasons that salvage personnel are focusing their efforts on a re-floating attempt and, if everything progresses according to plan, this process will begin 16 or 17 September. Weather permitting, a tow connection with a dynema – floating towing line with a breaking strength of 350 tons – will be made via tug Pentow Service to tug Wolraad Woltemade (bollard pull of 185 tons); the helicopter assisting by flying the towline out to the casualty. Today, successful entry was made into the engine-room where water has been found up to half the height of the main engines. This is a lot lower than the water outside the hull and is a good indication that water in the engine-room is not tidal. Tomorrow pumps will be introduced into the engine-room to pump water out. Once the water has been reduced to a minimal level, the attempt to re-float her will proceed. The re-floating process will take a minimum of 48 hours and will depend on conditions on board as well as weather conditions. The pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII flew a patrol this morning and reported that oil continues to emanate from a crack in the port side of the casualty in about the amidships area. This pollution runs parallel to the coast in a southwesterly direction until about one mile southwest of the casualty, about 300m off the coast. It then heads directly out to sea in a southerly direction and at five miles out breaks up into sheen. The pollution consisted of streaks of black oil, rainbow patches and sheen.

16 September 2002 – Salvage operators struggling to stop burning ro/ro Jolly Rubino breaking up and spilling fuel on to a protected area of South Africa's coastline begin trying to re-float the vessel today. The vessel, beached near the UNESCO-recognized St Lucia Wetlands Park, was already cracked and leaking oil into the sea when authorities decided to risk breaking the vessel by moving it. SMIT Salvage had tried to put out the six-day-old fire that raged through a mixed cargo including toxic chemicals, crippled the vessel and forced the crew to abandon ship, but the blaze still burned today. "The vessel is not going to last the two weeks it will take us to control the fire, so we will make an attempt to re-float it," salvage master Nicholas Sloane told Reuters. He said workers would assemble pumps, pulling gear, and attach ropes today. Environmentalists had earlier voiced concern that towing the vessel off the beach where it sat, pounded by the surf and listing at about 30ú to its right side, would cause the weakened hull to break open and spill what remained of about 1,300 tons of fuel into the sea. None of the spilled oil had reached the protected area, conservationists said. The wetlands estuary was closed up by a sand bar, and reinforced with man-made dunes thrown up by bulldozers to stop high tides carrying oil into the mangrove swamps, which are home to a wide variety of wildlife. A boom was to be placed across the nearby mouth of the Umfolozi river, and pollution-control experts said they would close up the mouths of other rivers to the south of the park. Around 400 tons of oil were thought to have leaked out of a crack about 65ft long in the vessel's port side. Crisis management officials held a brief debate over whether to declare the wreck a national disaster, but opted to call it a "major incident", making the distinction because they thought the situation was not yet out of hand. Charles Cary, a provincial disaster manager, said the government had got involved to co-ordinate the various parts of the operation. A disaster management committee decided to ask the army to help control access to the grounding site, feared to be contaminated with hazardous chemicals. Sloane said he hoped most of the chemicals still on board the vessel had been burned up by the blaze.

16 September 2002 – The SMIT Salvage team today continued with preparations on board the vessel for the re-floating attempt, aided by favourable weather and sea conditions. In all, 90 per cent of the port side crack has been patched by the dive team, reducing the oil emanating from the vessel. Early this morning, the Dyneema towline was connected to the bow of Jolly Rubino via tug Pentow Service and by means of a helicopter. It was then connected to the tow wire of the Wolraad Woltemade. The towing connection has therefore been completed. A further attempt was made to take soundings on the lower deck to determine if any water was present in the area. The reason for this is that a great amount of water on the lower deck could create free surface movement, which could capsize the vessel should she be re-floated. Salvage personnel are trying to establish the quantity of water to be pumped out of the casualty before a re-floating attempt can begin and it is now estimated that the preparatory phase of the re-floating operation will continue for the next few days as this water is located and pumped out of the vessel. Salvage personnel will commence with pumping operations in the engine-room today so as to reduce the water level there. As reported yesterday, the grounded Jolly Rubino is still intact but its condition is assessed as critical. Salvage personnel have determined that preparations for a re-floating attempt should continue as planned in an effort to prevent the 500 tons of heavy fuel oil in the fuel tanks from being released. This would create an oil slick on the sea surface, with the burned contents on the cargo decks posing a greater threat to the environment than the heavy fuel. It is for these reasons that salvage personnel are focusing their efforts on a re-floating attempt. The pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII flew a patrol this afternoon and report that conditions with respect to the oil pollution remain unchanged; the effect of the wind and sea helping to break up the oil. The visible pollution runs parallel to the coast in a south-westerly direction until about 500m southwest of the casualty, where some oil has been noted in the surf zone. It then heads directly out to sea in a southerly direction and at five miles out breaks up into sheen.

17 September 2002 – Salvage personnel will be shifting the focus of their operations on the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino to fuel removal after the discovery this morning that the port side crack had worsened substantially in the last 24 hours. In addition, this afternoon a new crack was discovered on the starboard side of the casualty from which oil is seen to be emanating. The fuel removal operation will entail a ship-to-ship transfer; the transfer of the balance of the fuel on the vessel from starboard tanks and the engine-room to the storage tanks of a receiving vessel. A massive mobilisation of the equipment needed for this operation from SMIT Salvage equipment warehouses in Rotterdam and Cape Town began this morning and over the next 36 hours the necessary pumps, hoses, mooring systems, generators and other specialised equipment are expected to arrive on site. In the interim, salvage personnel on board Jolly Rubino will proceed with preparations for the ship-to-ship transfer by continuing efforts to pump water from the engine-room. They will also be closely monitoring the condition of the vessel and the extent of the cracks in the starboard and port side of the casualty. With respect to the cargo on board the vessel, the substance about which there is the most concern is phenol, which was stored on deck in containers. A few heavily damaged containers thought to contain hazardous cargo are still on deck. At a later stage, once the fire is under control, these containers will be fully inspected by chemical experts and salvage personnel. Daily air readings would indicate that there is no threat to salvage personnel working on board the vessel or to the environment. The Dyneema towline remains connected to the bow of Jolly Rubino and to the tow wire of Wolraad Woltemade. The pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII flew a patrol this afternoon and reports oil emanating from the crack on the starboard side of the vessel. The visible pollution runs parallel to the coast in a southwesterly direction until about 600m southwest of the casualty. It then heads directly out to sea in a southerly direction and at five miles out breaks up into sheen.

18 September 2002 – At 1435 this afternoon, the SMIT Salvage team on board ro/ro Jolly Rubino was safely evacuated from the casualty. This evacuation was carried out by the helicopter on standby throughout this operation at the St Lucia Lighthouse. Rubber inflatable boats had been on standby around the casualty throughout the morning as an additional safety precaution. Overnight the situation on board the grounded vessel deteriorated further, with fire intensifying in certain areas. The crack through the starboard fuel tank has allowed fuel oil to enter the cargo compartment and this has ignited and is now burning. The fire has spread further, from the middle of the vessel back to the engine-room bulkhead. During the morning, conditions deteriorated for the salvage team trying to work amidst high temperatures and excessive smoke. Access to the area of the engine-room became extremely unsafe and salvage personnel working in this area were making use of breathing apparatus due to the effect of the smoke and the presence of asbestos dust. Two asbestos experts, who were flown to the casualty this morning, were unable to enter the engine-room to investigate the threat posed by the asbestos to salvage personnel. The oil pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII reported this morning that the oil emanating from the starboard side has decreased significantly, confirming that the fuel oil has been forced up into the cargo holds and is fuelling the fire. SMIT Salvage, together with the relevant parties including South African Maritime Safety Authority and Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, will be assessing the situation further.

18 September 2002 – South African authorities battling to stop oil from burning ro/ro Jolly Rubino reaching a world wildlife sanctuary gave up plans to re-float the vessel and prepared to pump out its fuel tanks today. The vessel is lying beached some seven miles south of the entrance to the UNESCO-recognized St Lucia Wetlands Park, cracked on both sides and leaking oil. The vast coastal area of lagoon, swamp, dune and beach is home to an array of rare plants, animals and birds and is a magnet to ecologists, divers and tourists worldwide. Conservationists say the park's fragile ecosystem would be ruined if oil found its way into the wetlands. Environmentalists said they hoped the wind and ocean currents would keep the pollutant out of the park. A five-mile-long slick had formed in the sea near the vessel, but wind and tide were carrying it south, and not threatening the estuary leading to the park, officials said. Some oil had washed up on other beaches near the vessel. Conservationists were taking no chances, and put up sand barricades about one mile long to protect the estuary, as well as preparing a floating boom to close the mouth of the Umfolozi river, which connects to the wetlands. "At the moment we will win, and if it doesn't go that way we will do what we can to minimise the damage," said deputy environment minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi. Captain Nicholas Sloane of SMIT Salvage said his team had shifted their focus to drawing off some 800 tons of fuel remaining on board the vessel because an on-board fire, blazing for an eighth day today, had severely weakened the hull. He said predictions for the slicks' movement were favourable for preserving the wetlands. "At the moment, the spilled oil is expected to move south for the next four days," he said. Mabudafhasi said drums of toxic chemicals carried by the vessel were of secondary concern. Salvage workers said most of the chemicals, including solvents, and toxic substances phenol and alpha-naphthylamine, would have burned up in the fire. Pollution experts added that if drums of chemicals had leaked into the sea, their toxicity would have been diluted. Inquisitive locals opening drums washed up on the beach were most threatened by the chemicals, and the shoreline around the wreck would be closed to the public by the army, officials said. SMIT said its salvage team had boarded the vessel and would locate the main fuel line to the engine. They would first try and attach that pipe to their pump, and decant fuel from the vessel's starboard fuel tank into a nearby tug. The port tank had already ruptured and leaked out most of its oil. If the heat of the fire, still raging in the cargo area, hampered that task, the team would cut a hole in the fuel tank and pump out the oil directly, SMIT added. Around 450 tons of oil were thought to have leaked out of a crack about 65ft long in the vessel's port side. Officials conceded there was little they could do about the spill, and said they were content to wait. "It is better to try and clean it up when it is on the sand," said Dr Lynn Jackson, a pollution expert from the Department of the Environment. While authorities waited, hoping the slick would come ashore far from the wetlands, some observers said the wreck would become a part of the coastline. "The vessel will never move from there, not in one piece," one senior maritime official said. "It is now a tourist attraction."

19 September 2002 – Following yesterday afternoon's helicopter evacuation of salvage personnel from ro/ro Jolly Rubino, the team was flown out to the casualty again this morning, in an attempt to gain access to the engine-room. The situation on board, during the morning, allowed for safe entry into this area. The team commenced working in protective gear and with breathing apparatus in temperatures in excess of 100ú and were able to resume pumping operations, in an attempt to clear the engine-room of water, as part of preparations for the fuel removal operation. The water, rather than being pumped overboard, was being used to cool the engine-room bulkhead. During the afternoon, with the wind picking up and flames becoming visible in certain areas, as the wind fanned the fire, conditions on board, again, became unsafe and salvage personnel were evacuated from the casualty shortly after 1500hrs. The asbestos experts, who were asked to investigate the threat posed to salvage personnel by the asbestos dust in the engine-room, were able to gain access to this area today. They have provided SMIT Salvage with guidelines as to how to operate within these conditions, to ensure the safety of personnel. Preparations for the fuel removal operation are ongoing. Tug/supply Pentow Service will be loaded with the mooring spread and other specialised equipment required for the ship-to-ship transfer in the Port of Richards Bay this afternoon. Predicted weather conditions for the next few days are expected to follow the same pattern as those experienced over the course of the past few days, with the wind speed picking up during the afternoons. The oil pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag VII reported this afternoon that the oil slick breaks up one mile south of the casualty and dissipates into sheen at 1.5 miles. Very little oil is seen to be emanating from Jolly Rubino.

20 September 2002 – This morning a team of 16 salvage personnel boarded ro/ro Jolly Rubino and continued pumping operations in the engine-room. The water, rather than being pumped overboard, is being used to cool the engine room bulkhead as the on-board fire is still encroaching on this area. Working conditions in the engine-room continue to be extremely difficult with excessive heat, poor visibility and intense smoke hindering progress. The salvage team are making use of breathing apparatus as well as protective clothing as a safety measure. Carbon monoxide is being generated in the engine-room as a result of the fire and readings taken this morning in this area by salvage personnel measured 12 times the maximum allowable limit. The salvage team was evacuated from the casualty by helicopter at 1230 today when conditions were again deemed life threatening. Preparations for the fuel removal operation are ongoing and will continue over the weekend. The mooring spread was laid this morning some 200m from the grounded vessel. Tug Pentow Service has been loaded with the required oil transfer hoses and pumps and is on stand-by in the Port of Richards Bay until required. The commencement of the ship-to-ship transfer is dependent on working conditions on board the Jolly Rubino and the ability of the team to work safely in order to clear the engine-room of water and inspect this area fully. Yesterday afternoon, with the wind picking up and flames becoming visible in certain areas as the wind fanned the fire, conditions on board also became unsafe and salvage personnel were evacuated from the casualty shortly after 1500hrs.

21 September 2002 – The oil leakage from the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino is sporadic and continues to decrease significantly with minimal oil emanating from the port side of the vessel. The oil continues to move parallel to the coast, dispersing offshore. The 50m beach area, approximately 1km south from the grounded vessel reported to be impacted by oil yesterday afternoon had been naturally cleaned by the tide during the course of the night, making it unnecessary for the planned beach clean-up which was scheduled for early this morning. Mussel banks and oyster beds along the coast in the area of the casualty had been inspected this morning by experts and are clear of any oil traces. The salvage team was able to board the vessel again this morning, after the third evacuation yesterday afternoon due to deteriorating fire conditions on board, spurred on by wind speed picking up. They will continue to clear the asbestos dust from the vessel and prepare for the oil removal operation, schedule to commence by the end of the weekend due to the early evacuation yesterday. The approximately 800 tons of oil remaining on board the vessel will be removed through a ship-to-ship transfer. The Pentow Service, a small anchor handling vessel, had been prepared for this operation. The asbestos dust is contained to the grounded vessel and is not posing an environmental threat. A non-toxic, non-combustible product is being used to bind and remove the asbestos fibres. The chemicals potentially still aboard the Jolly Rubino are in containers on deck, which is thought to have burnt out by now as a result of the high temperatures aboard. Other products potentially still aboard include items such as golden products and electrical appliances.

22 September 2002 – The effect of improved weather and reduced wind speeds on the working conditions aboard ro/ro Jolly Rubino has meant that the SMIT Salvage team have been able to make good progress over the course of the past 48 hours. Yesterday, without the strong winds of the past few days fanning the fire, on-board temperatures and excessive smoke decreased and conditions in the engine-room improved. However, continued high carbon monoxide readings in this area mean that salvage personnel have to wear full breathing apparatus and protective gear. Temperatures in excess of 100úC continue to be recorded in the engine-room. Preparations for the fuel removal operation are ongoing. Pumping of the water in the engine-room continued yesterday and was recommenced this morning. The mooring spread was laid on Friday (20 September) some 200m from the grounded vessel. The anchor handler Pentow Service has been loaded with the required oil transfer hoses and pumps and is on standby in the port of Richards Bay until required as the receiving vessel for the ship-to-ship transfer. The commencement of the ship-to-ship transfer is dependent on working conditions on board the Jolly Rubino and the ability of the team to work safely in order to clear the engine-room of water and inspect this area fully. Following an early afternoon evacuation from the casualty on Friday, salvage personnel were able to complete a full inspection of the Jolly Rubino's sister ship the Jolly Turquoise in the port of Durban late Friday, enabling them to have an improved concept of the internals of the engine-room which will assist in preparing the casualty for fuel removal. As a result of their inspection, they will be cutting a hole through the hull in the area of the engine-room and welding a platform outside of this access route as part of preparations for the ship-to-ship transfer. This is planned for tomorrow if present weather conditions continue. This access route will also introduce fresh air to the engine-room space, further improving working conditions, and could also be used by salvage personnel as a quicker evacuation exit should this be required.

23 September 2002 – Possible chemicals on board ro/ro Jolly Rubino identified. Following a concern raised about the uncertainty regarding the chemicals on board the grounded vessel by Director General of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Dr Crispian Olver, when he visited the casualty scene yesterday, the potential possible chemicals on board the grounded Jolly Rubino were identified. Of the cargo on the upper deck, it is fairly certain that the following chemicals or, at least, the containers in which they were, are still on board the grounded ship. Due to the high temperatures on board it has not been possible to inspect whether or not the chemicals are in fact still in the containers or had burnt. The preliminary assessment indicates the possible presence of four containers of methanol, two containers of ethyl acetate, two containers of ethanol and ethanol solutions, one container of methyl iso butyl ketone, five containers of thinsol 292 and 293, four containers of acetone and three containers of vinyl acetate monomer. In addition, it is thought that the containers holding the fungicide and the voronate are still on deck. However, this area of the deck is still smouldering and the high temperatures have prevented anyone from approaching them. There are also a further two containers still on deck, one of which holds golden products, and the other electrical appliances. The chemicals of greatest concern to the marine environment are considered to be the fungicide, voronate, phenol and possibly ethyl acetate. Of these, at present, only the phenol is fairly definitely no longer on deck. However, it is also likely that the phenol was at the centre of the explosions as it was situated close to the bow of the vessel, where there has been substantial damage. It is, therefore, likely that only a limited percentage of that entered the marine environment. There are three lower decks, part or all of which continue to burn. It has, therefore, not been possible to gain access to them. However, from the cargo loading plan it has been possible to ascertain that the cargo stowed there includes the following products potentially harmful to the marine environment which are chrome tanning salts, fertilizers and lubricating oil. At this stage, however, all of these are still on board or might have burnt. Other products on the lower decks include wax, hides, animal feed, tissues, tobacco, fruit juices, mica, wine, polypropylene, kitchen units, marble blocks, electrical material, paper, wool, spare parts, cooling units, aluminium, glue, household/personal effects, packaging material, curios, sugar, rice, refractory material, glycerine, wire, appliances, machinery, copper tubes, gaming machines, footwear components, synthetic fibre, lead, confectionery, gabions, cool drinks, stainless steel and a caterpillar on tracks. Once the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation, which will commence tomorrow, is completed, the next step would be to identify whether these chemicals are still intact in the containers on the vessel and remove them from her. The salvage team had almost completed final preparations for the oil transfer operation from the grounded vessel and the oil pumping from the vessel to the anchor handler Pentow Service will commence tomorrow, weather and fire conditions permitting. Light sheen with minimal oil patches are visible for approximately 1km south and approximately 5km southeast direction from the grounded vessel as reported this morning by Kuswag VII, the department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft. Kuswag VII reported no visibility of oil north of the vessel and minimal oil is emanating sporadically from the Jolly Rubino. No other pollution incidents or pollution threats have been reported.

23 September 2002 – SMIT Salvage personnel working on board the grounded vessel have continued to make good progress and completed pumping out the engine-room late yesterday. Although there is still water ingress into this space, enough water has been removed for the fuel removal operation to enter its next phase and for hose connection to take place within the next 24 hours, weather and swell conditions permitting. It is intended that tug Pentow Service, which will act as the receiving vessel during the ship-to-ship transfer, will proceed offshore later today from Richards Bay. She is loaded with the necessary oil transfer hoses and pumps required during the ship-to-ship transfer. The mooring spread was laid on Friday (20 September) some 200m from the casualty. Progress with the ship-to-ship transfer will very much depend on weather and swell conditions; it is anticipated that by Wednesday the swell will have increased from 2-3m to 4-5m in height. This morning a hole was made through the hull on the port side of the vessel into the engine-room and is big enough for a 6in hose to pass through it. An additional 2m-wide hole is in the process of being cut through the hull in the area of the engine-room and a platform will be welded outside of this access route as part of preparations for the ship-to-ship transfer. This access route will also introduce fresh air to the engine-room space, further improving working conditions, and could also be used by salvage personnel as a quicker evacuation exit should this be required. Conditions in the engine room have improved over the last 48hrs and temperature readings taken this morning would indicate that this area is cooling. Salvage personnel have been using the water pumped from the engine-room in boundary cooling efforts, which are now deemed to be having the appropriate effect on the temperatures in this space.

24 September 2002 – High swells delay SMIT Salvage efforts to pump oil from ro/ro Jolly Rubino. An increase in the swell height being experienced in the vicinity of the grounded vessel has prevented salvage personnel from connecting the oil transfer hoses to be used in the ship-to-ship transfer operation. The SMIT Salvage team report that swell height has been steadily increasing and is currently measured at three to 3-4m. It is expected that the current ground swell condition will continue for the next three days, delaying the beginning of the next phase of the fuel removal operation. Salvage personnel working in the engine-room continue to pump the area of water to maintain low water levels in this space. A large quantity of accumulated sand is to be removed from the area in the engine-room where the manifold (pipeline system) is located before hose connection can take place. Working conditions are steadily improving as temperatures decrease and less smoke has improved visibility. As a result, today salvage personnel are able to work safely in the engine-room without the assistance of breathing apparatus, but continue to use filter masks as a precautionary measure. The anchor handler Pentow Service, which will act as the receiving vessel during the ship-to-ship transfer, remains on standby in the port of Richards Bay until required. She is loaded with the necessary oil transfer hoses and pumps required during the ship-to-ship transfer.

24 September 2002 – Several containers, likely to have washed overboard ro/ro Jolly Rubino, were reported this morning along the Eastern Cape coast in the Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys' Bay and Plettenberg Bay areas. The contents of two of the containers towed into port in Port Elizabeth and confirmed to be Jolly Rubino containers, have been identified to be wine and fridges. Another container reported in the Jeffrey's Bay area is emitting a white gas at the moment, which could be a toxic substance or not. Containers were also reported in the Plettenberg Bay area. The department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, had been dispatched to survey the area in order to establish the exact position of the reported containers. A boat and possibly a helicopter will also be dispatched to the area shortly to further identify the containers and their possible contents, and it is expected that by the end of the day an estimation of the number of containers, their position and possible contents would be available. The chemical conditions on board the Jolly Rubino remain the same with preliminary assessment indicating the possible presence of four containers of methanol, two containers of ethyl acetate, two containers of ethanol and ethanol solutions, one container of methyl iso butyl ketone, five containers of thinsol 292 and 293, four containers of acetone and three containers of vinyl acetate monomer. In addition, it is thought that the containers holding the fungicide and the voronate are still on deck. However, this area of the deck is still smouldering and the high temperatures have prevented anyone from approaching them. The chemicals of greatest concern to the marine environment are considered to be the fungicide, voronate, phenol and possibly ethyl acetate. Of these, at present, only the phenol is fairly definitely no longer on deck. However, it is also likely that the phenol was at the centre of the explosions as it was situated close to the bow of the vessel, where there has been substantial damage. It is therefore likely that only a limited percentage of that entered the marine environment. The three lower decks remain inaccessible due to the fire conditions, and chemicals likely to be on these decks might have burnt. Only very light sheen in the southeasterly direction from the grounded vessel was visible this morning. The protective measures implemented by the department to reduce environmental damage and protect the estuaries along the coastline remain in place. Extra personnel and booms are on standby. This is a unique incident: the first fire, chemical, and oil-related incident of its kind in recent history in the world.

25 September 2002 – Three containers confirmed to have washed overboard ro/ro Jolly Rubino were reported by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, yesterday. Two of the containers were reported in the Port Elizabeth area and a third container approximately 90km south of Plettenberg Bay. The containers were not emitting gas or were not on fire and no further containers were reported. Kuswag VII will continue to survey the area today. The salvage team fitted most hose and pipe connections necessary for the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation. Swell conditions are likely to hamper further progress today as high swells have been reported and are forecast for the next two days. The anchor handling tug Pentow Service, the vessel that will act as the receiving vessel during the operation, is on standby in the Port of Richards Bay. The working conditions aboard the grounded Jolly Rubino had improved with the asbestos dust situation being stabilized and air temperatures continue to decrease. Very light sheen in the vicinity of the vessel was visible this morning, posing no danger or threat to the environment or marine life. The protective measures implemented by the department to reduce environmental damage and protect the estuaries along the coastline remain in place. Extra personnel and booms are on standby.

25 September 2002 – The high swell condition being experienced in the vicinity of the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino continues to prevent salvage personnel from connecting the oil transfer hoses to the anchor handler Pentow Service and to begin the ship-to-ship transfer operation. It is expected that the current ground swell condition will continue for the next two days, delaying the beginning of the next phase of the fuel removal operation. Pentow Service remains on standby in Richards Bay until required. Salvage personnel working in the engine-room to maintain reduced water levels will connect some oil transfer hoses in this area in the next 24 hours in preparation for the next good weather window during which time it is hoped connection to the Pentow Service can take place and the ship-to-ship transfer can begin. The fire on board, burning 10 September, is now considered to be smouldering, with highest temperatures at "hot spots" on board measured at 380ú. Working conditions in the engine-room are improving, but salvage personnel continue to use filter masks as a precautionary measure.

26 September 2002 – SMIT Salvage report that high ground swell continues to pound ro/ro Jolly Rubino. Overnight, the grounded vessel continued to be pounded by heavy ground swell measuring 5-7m in the vicinity of the casualty. This morning, salvage personnel gained access to the engine-room through the 2m-wide port side hole after it was established that water levels in this space had risen substantially overnight as a result of water ingress now being influenced by the tide. During the course of the day, efforts were concentrated on restoring lighting and power to the pumps in the engine-room following the rise in water level so as to continue pumping operations there. Oil transfer hoses have been attached to the manifold connection for the engine-room fuel tanks and it is expected that a connection to the anchor handler Pentow Service could be made within the next 48 hours should the ground swell being experienced in the area subside substantially. In the interim, Pentow Service, which will act as the receiving vessel during the ship-to-ship transfer, remains on stand-by in the Port of Richards Bay.

27 September 2002 – Preparations for the removal of the remaining fuel on board the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino are ongoing as salvage personnel await an abatement of the high ground swell condition. The anchor handler Pentow Service made an attempt at connection for the ship-to-ship transfer this morning but was unable to come in close to the casualty for this purpose due to the continued high ground swell. Vessel will remain offshore until the ground swell conditions abate. In the engine-room, oil transfer hoses have been attached to the manifold connection for the engine-room fuel tanks. In consultation with representatives from the Department of Environmental Affairs and all stakeholders, SMIT Salvage are in the process of finalising their plan for the removal of the contents of the containers on the extensively fire-damaged deck of Jolly Rubino. The fire on board is now considered to be smouldering. Yesterday, highest temperatures were measured at 140úC.

28 September 2002 – With favourable swell conditions today, the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation has commenced early this morning. Anchor handling tug Pentow Service is acting as the receiving vessel during the ship-to-ship transfer and has been connected to the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino through the oil transfer hoses. The operation to transfer approximately 600 tonnes of remaining oil from Jolly Rubino is expected to take several days, as the pumping process is very slow. Weather and swell conditions might also affect the duration of the operation. Once the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation is completed, the next step would be to identify the remaining containers on board Jolly Rubino, with their contents, and determine whether these are intact or not. A removal plan by the salvage company was presented to the relevant authorities on 26 September. The process of approval is expected to be finalised early next week. No further containers were reported for the past two days, after extensive surveying of the area by the department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII. A thin layer of oil is visible from the port side of Jolly Rubino, spreading out into thin sheen in a southerly direction, posing no environmental danger or threat at this stage. Although temperatures are decreasing and the asbestos dust situation had been stabilized, conditions on Jolly Rubino remain dangerous and members of the public are again reminded to cooperate by refraining from attempts to get closer to the grounded vessel and the affected beach area in the vicinity of Jolly Rubino. The protective measures implemented by the department to reduce environmental damage and protect the estuaries along the coastline remain in place. Extra personnel and booms are on standby.

29 September 2002 – SMIT Salvage began to remove fuel from ro/ro Jolly Rubino shortly after 0900hrs, yesterday morning. Anchor handling tug Pentow Service made the connection for the ship-to-ship transfer at first light and the pumping of fuel from engine-room tanks of Jolly Rubino commenced. Today, adverse weather conditions, with wind speeds of up to 80kmh have prevented the salvage team from continuing with the ship-to-ship transfer and they await a further break in the weather. It is expected that weather conditions will improve towards the middle of the week. In consultation with representatives from the Department of Environmental Affairs and all stakeholders, SMIT Salvage are in the process of finalising their plan for the removal of the contents of the containers on the extensively fire-damaged deck of Jolly Rubino. The fire on board, burning since 10 September, is now considered to be smouldering and on-board temperatures are steadily decreasing.

29 September 2002 – The ship-to-ship oil transfer operation, that commenced yesterday, is delayed due to deteriorating weather and swell conditions. The salvage team was evacuated earlier today, after two team members sustained injuries, as a result of slippery conditions on board the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino. Approximately 16 tonnes of oil has been transferred, yesterday, from Jolly Rubino to the receiving vessel, anchor handling tug Pentow Service, which remains on standby in the vicinity of Jolly Rubino.

30 September 2002 – Ro/ro Jolly Rubino: The ship-to-ship oil transfer operation resumed again this morning as weather and swell conditions improved favourably during the night. The transfer operation was delayed yesterday due to deteriorating weather and swell conditions. After an evacuation yesterday when two team members sustained injuries as a result of slippery conditions on board Jolly Rubino, the salvage team was able to board the vessel again this morning. One of the injured members is reportedly released from medical care and the other had been kept overnight for further observation. The transfer operation is expected to last several days as the pumping process is very slow. Only 16 tonnes of the estimated 600 tonnes of remaining oil has been transferred so far, before the operation commenced again this morning. Pentow Service acts as the receiving vessel during the ship-to-ship transfer operation. The oil conditions have improved with only a grey sheen emanating from the bow side of the vessel, into a northerly direction, posing no environmental danger or threat. No oil has been reported on the beach areas. Once the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation is completed, the next step would be to identify the remaining containers on board the vessel with their contents and determine whether these are intact or not. A removal plan by the salvage company was presented to the relevant authorities and the process of approval is expected to be finalised early this week.

30 September 2002 – This morning, shortly after 1000hrs, the transfer of oil from the engine-room fuel tanks of ro/ro Jolly Rubino, to the tanks of anchor handling tug Pentow Service, resumed in calm conditions. Yesterday, strong winds and heavy rain prevented the continuation of the ship-to-ship transfer, after 16 tonnes, of the estimated 600 tonnes remaining on board, was pumped out, on 28 September. The rate of pumping is five tonnes per hour.

1 October 2002 – Ro/ro Jolly Rubino: 50 tonnes of oil were transferred yesterday during the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation with improved weather and swell conditions. A total of 66 of the remaining 600 tonnes of oil have been transferred so far from the vessel to the receiving anchor handling tug Pentow Service. The salvage team was able to board the grounded Jolly Rubino again this morning and commenced with the process of connecting the receiving vessel, the Pentow Service to the grounded vessel. The weather and swell conditions are reported to deteriorate and therefore might cause another delay with the transfer operation. The two injured salvage team members injured on Sunday as a result of slippery conditions on board the vessel were both discharged from hospital, the one was discharged on the same day and the second team member was discharged yesterday. The transfer operation is expected to last several days, as the pumping process is very slow. The duration of the process is also affected by the weather and swell conditions. The department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, reported the beaches to be clear of oil with only a grey sheen emanating from the Jolly Rubino, this morning, moving south from the vessel for approximately 200m. It therefore poses no environmental danger or threat. Once the ship-to-ship oil transfer operation is completed, the next step would be to identify the remaining containers on board the Jolly Rubino with their contents and determine whether these are intact or not. The cargo removal plan has been approved late yesterday and the salvage team will commence with preparations for a temporary holding site. An area leased by Richards Bay Minerals had been identified which is situated approximately 30km from Richards Bay, near the Mhlabane river mouth. All precautions will be taken to prevent putting lives at risk, and measures will be put in place to prevent environmental damage. Richards Bay Minerals will be holding a meeting with the local community today to explain the process. Conditions on the Jolly Rubino remain dangerous and members of the public are again reminded to cooperate by refraining from attempts to get closer to the grounded vessel, and the affected beach area in the vicinity of the vessel. The protective measures implemented by the department to reduce environmental damage and protect the estuaries along the coastline remain in place. Extra personnel and booms are on standby.

1 October 2002 – Ignazio Messina & Company, the Italian owners of the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino, have spent in excess of about R18.4 million on the salvage and pollution prevention operations thus far, Roberto del Vecchio, the vessel's captain, said yesterday. Salvage work on the vessel has been hampered by rough seas and an intractable fire which has burned for almost three weeks at temperatures of up to 450úC. The starboard listing of the vessel and the spreading of cracks in its hull through which bunker oil has leaked into the cargo hold, further fuelling the fire, have created more headaches for the salvage team. "In this salvage there was a combination of four main factors. The vessel had a fire on board, was carrying hazardous cargo, went aground in an environmentally sensitive area and was battered by four consecutive days of bad weather, all at the same time," del Vecchio said. He added that the fact that there had been no loss of life and negligible environmental damage was entirely a result of the quick and cooperative action by everyone involved.

1 October 2002 – Approximately 80 tonnes of fuel has now been removed to the tanks of anchor handling tug Pentow Service from the engine-room fuel tanks of ro/ro Jolly Rubino. Fuel removal operations were again attempted this morning but aborted due to the adverse weather, rough seas and strong winds gusting at 80kmh. SMIT Salvage has prepared an operational plan for the removal of the contents of those containers on the badly damaged deck of the vessel which are classed as hazardous cargo. This operation will entail the removal of empty, partly damaged and full drums by air. The plan has been presented to the relevant authorities and required permits issued. It is intended that this phase of the operation will begin by the end of the week, weather conditions permitting. Salvage personnel have been prevented until now from fully investigating cargo by high temperatures caused by the on-board fire. The fire is now considered to be smouldering and recorded temperatures have decreased substantially to below 100úC. Many barrels either located on deck or still in containers on the deck are damaged, corroded, burnt or empty. Towards the rear of some of the containers are barrels that are in a reasonable condition. A portable crane, fabricated by salvage engineers, will lift both intact and damaged barrels into oversize containment drums and, where necessary, the contents of part-full drums will be decanted into chemical drums prior to removal from Jolly Rubino. These drums will be of a mass that can be safely transported by helicopter. A powerful Russian Mi8 helicopter has arrived in Richards Bay for use during this operation. Phase One of the operation will entail the removal of drums from the deck and Phase Two will entail the removal of partly damaged and full drums from within the containers on deck. Once airlifted off the casualty, the containment drums will be taken to a temporary high security holding area, located on land leased by Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), south of the Nhlabane Estuary and 25km from Richards Bay. The unopened containment drums will then be transported by road under escort to the Waste-Tech facility in Richards Bay, where contents will be examined and those which can be identified and recycled returned to the product manufacturers. The balance of the contents of the drums will be disposed of by Waste-Tech in an approved waste disposal manner. Personnel safety on Jolly Rubino will continue to be of paramount importance during this operation and several additional safety precautions will be taken. Full chemical gear and breathing apparatus will be worn during cargo removal and decontamination showers will be set up on the periphery of the cargo zone on deck. Continuous monitoring for explosive and toxic gasses will be carried out and a paramedic with chemical experienced will be on board throughout the operation as a precautionary measure. Salvage personnel continue to monitor the condition of the grounded vessel, including the extent of the cracks in her hull on the starboard and port sides.

2 October 2002 – Ro/ro Jolly Rubino: The ship-to-ship oil transfer operation had been delayed again today due to deteriorating weather conditions. A total of 66 of the remaining 600 tonnes of oil have been transferred so far from the grounded Jolly Rubino to the receiving vessel, tug Pentow Service. The department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, reported the beaches to be clear of oil with only a grey sheen emanating from Jolly Rubino this morning, posing no environmental danger or threat. The salvage team had started to prepare a temporary holding site for the remaining cargo on board Jolly Rubino.

3 October 2002 – Shortly after 1300 today, fuel transfer operations from the engine-room tanks of grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino to the storage tanks of anchor handling tug Pentow Service resumed after the adverse weather experienced at the casualty over the past 24 hours abated. On arrival on board this morning, salvage personnel noted an increase in smoke and fumes, which would indicate that the strong winds experienced yesterday have fanned the smouldering fire in places, causing renewed burning. The fire has now been burning for 23 days. Preparations for the removal of empty, partly damaged and full drums of hazardous cargo from the deck of the casualty by air continue. All necessary equipment and safety gear to be used during this operation is on standby for airlifting to the casualty once all preparations at the temporary high security cargo holding area to which removed cargo will be taken have been completed. It is intended that this phase of the operation, which entails the removal of the empty drums on deck, will begin by the end of the week, weather conditions permitting. The 25m² temporary cargo holding area, located nine miles south of the casualty, is being cleared by bulldozer and prepared for the operation. Two protective chemical sheets will be buried under the sand as a precautionary measure to prevent any potential spillage from entering the soil. Cargo landed at this site will have been sealed in containment drums prior to departure from Jolly Rubino and will then be transported by road under escort to the Richards Bay Waste-Tech facility. Salvage personnel continue to monitor the condition of the grounded vessel, including the extent of the cracks in its hull on the starboard and port sides.

3 October 2002 – Strong winds hamper SMIT Salvage operations on board ro/ro Jolly Rubino. Salvage personnel were evacuated at 1300hrs, today, after strong winds, gusting in excess of 70kmh (40 knots) and increasing in velocity, made helicopter flying conditions dangerous. Due to the strong winds and dangerous working conditions, the fuel removal operation did not resume today. Prior to evacuation, equipment, to be used in the operation concerning the removal of empty, partly damaged and full drums of hazardous cargo from the fire-damaged deck area, continued to be landed on board, via helicopter. Weather conditions permitting, it is anticipated that this phase of the salvage operation will begin by the end of the week. Preparations at the land-based, temporary cargo holding area, located nine miles south of the casualty, are nearing completion. Cargo landed at this site will have been sealed in containment drums prior to departure from Jolly Rubino and will then be transported by road, under escort, to the Richards Bay Waste-Tech facility. Salvage personnel continue to monitor the condition of the grounded vessel, including the extent of the cracks in her hull on the starboard and port sides.

3 October 2002 – A further 18 tonnes of oil were transferred, yesterday, during the ship-to-ship transfer operation from ro/ro Jolly Rubino (29,119gt, built 1978), as weather conditions improved late yesterday afternoon, bringing the total amount of oil to 84 tonnes transferred so far. Due to high swells the pumping process is being hampered. Weather forecast indicates an approaching storm that might cause a delay in the transfer operations. The department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, reported the beaches to be clear of oil, with only a grey sheen emanating from Jolly Rubino this morning, posing no environmental danger or threat. The temporary holding site is near completion and transfer of empty drums from the grounded Jolly Rubino, to the temporary holding site, is expected to commence tomorrow. A temporary laboratory is also being set up on site.

4 October 2002 – Ro/ro Jolly Rubino: Transfer operation on hold as weather deteriorates and fire flares up again. The fuel transfer operation has been delayed due to deteriorating weather conditions. The fire has also started flaring up again, making working conditions on board the Jolly Rubino dangerous. The weather forecast still indicates an approaching storm. The department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, reported the beaches to be clear of oil. No oil is reportedly emanating from the Jolly Rubino this morning, therefore, no environmental danger or threat at this stage. The temporary holding site is nearing completion and transfer of empty drums from the grounded vessel to the temporary holding site is expected to commence over the weekend, weather permitting. A temporary laboratory is also being set up on site. Conditions on the Jolly Rubino remain dangerous. The protective measures implemented by the department to reduce environmental damage and protect the estuaries along the coastline remain in place. Extra personnel and booms are on standby.

4 October 2002 – While high swells of between 5-6m in the vicinity of the grounded vessel have prevented the fuel removal operation from continuing today, salvage personnel have been able to complete on-board preparations for the phase of the salvage operation involving the removal of the hazardous cargo on deck. On the deck of Jolly Rubino, a level working platform has been secured in place, which will be used as a base for salvage personnel during operations on the deck. This morning, additional equipment was landed on board and during the afternoon the first of the containment drums will be landed at the casualty by helicopter. Once the operation is underway, a portable crane, fabricated by salvage engineers, will lift both intact and damaged barrels into these oversize containment drums prior to them being airlifted to a specially prepared, temporary high security holding area on land 6km south of the Jolly Rubino. It is intended that the first loads of contained hazardous cargo will leave the ship, airlifted by the powerful Russian Mi8 helicopter, within the next 48 hours, weather permitting.

6 October 2002 – Salvage personnel have made good progress in operations on board grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino in the past 48 hours. Yesterday, it was confirmed that a fuel tank previously thought to have contained approximately 250 tonnes of fuel still to be removed from the casualty contained only seawater, the fuel having been spilt soon after the vessel grounded. This was established after four holes were drilled into the tank to confirm its contents. It is now estimated that only 250 tonnes of pumpable diesel fuel remains on board – significantly less than previous estimates of 600 tonnes. High swells of between 3-4m in the vicinity of the vessel have prevented the fuel removal operation from continuing today. Yesterday, operations began to remove hazardous cargo on deck. During the course of the afternoon, three loads – containing between 40 and 50 barrels each – were airlifted by a Mil Mi8 helicopter to the temporary high security holding area on land, nine miles south of the vessel. This operation is continuing today.

7 October 2002 – By the end of operations on Sunday (6 October), 333 barrels had been airlifted from the deck of the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino to a high security temporary holding site on land nine miles south of the casualty. Salvage personnel involved in this operation continue to follow strict safety and procedural guidelines and are treating all barrels removed as potentially containing hazardous substances. The barrels are sealed into large containment drums prior to airlifting from the deck by helicopter. All barrels removed from the casualty thus far have been empty. The anchor handler Pentow Service resumed fuel transfer operations first thing this morning and by 1300, local time, had removed 40 tonnes of diesel. A total of 137 tonnes of fuel has been removed from the Jolly Rubino thus far. Over the weekend, it was confirmed that a fuel tank previously thought to have contained approximately 250 tonnes of fuel still to be removed from the casualty contained only seawater, the fuel having been spilt soon after the vessel's grounding.

7 October 2002 – Following received from the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, dated today: Ro/ro Jolly Rubino: The salvage team has transferred a further 40 tonnes of fuel from the vessel today, bringing the total to just over 120 tonnes of oil transferred so far. During the operation at the weekend (5-6 October), the salvage team established that one tank thought to have contained approximately 250 tonnes of fuel was filled with seawater. This significantly decreases the fuel left on the grounded vessel. It is now estimated that only about 200 tonnes of diesel fuel remains on board to be transferred to the receiving vessel. The ship-to-ship oil transfer operation is expected to be completed by the end of the week, weather permitting. The department's anti-pollution patrol aircraft, Kuswag VII, reported the beaches to be clear of oil. No oil is reportedly emanating from the vessel, therefore no environmental danger or threat is posed at present. The cargo removal operation continued over the weekend with more than 330 empty drums transferred from the upper deck of the Jolly Rubino to the temporary holding site. The salvage team has started with the drums which had been blown clear of the containers, and will now be moving on to the drums which are still inside containers, and which are likely to still contain some of the chemicals. Strict safety and procedural guidelines are being followed and all cargo items being removed from the grounded vessel are treated as potentially containing dangerous chemicals. Conditions on the vessel remain dangerous and members of the public are again reminded to cooperate by refraining from attempts to get closer to the vessel and the affected beach area in the vicinity. The protective measures implemented by the department to reduce environmental damage and protect the estuaries along the coastline remain in place.

8 October 2002 – Adverse sea conditions prevent anchor handling tug Pentow Service from mooring up and continuing with the fuel transfer operation, from ro/ro Jolly Rubino, today. A total of 73 tonnes of diesel was removed yesterday, bringing the approximate total removed to date to 170 tonnes. Due to technical problems, as well as the weather conditions on site, the helicopter was unable to fly today, although salvage operations continued on board, with salvage personnel sealing barrels into containment drums.

11 October 2002 – The cargo removal operation has progressed well over the past 24 hours, with 400 units (half barrels/empty barrels) being removed by air yesterday. This brings to 733 number of barrels removed to date, roughly one-third of the total number of barrels of hazardous cargo to be removed from the deck. This operation is ongoing and continues today. The oil removal operation also continues, with oil in one of the tanks being skimmed and collected. Anchor handling tug/supply Pentow Service will be called on site to take transfer of this oil once enough has accumulated.

14 October 2002 – Approximately half of the hazardous cargo on board the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino has been airlifted off the casualty in the last nine days. SMIT Salvage personnel have removed 1,000 barrels from the deck by air, as well as six empty 20ft cargo containers – giving them access to those containers still on deck deemed to contain the balance of the hazardous cargo. This operation is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of the week. A total of 140 tonnes of oil skimmed off the water surface in the engine-room since the beginning of last week has been collected and is awaiting transfer to the storage tanks on tug/supply Pentow Service. It is expected that predicted good weather and sea conditions will facilitate fuel removal operations from tomorrow. High swells prevent Pentow Service from taking transfer of the collected fuel today. The removal of the balance of the oil on board, including oil displaced into the cargo holds when the port and starboard fuel tanks were breached and became open to the sea, remains a high priority. Salvage personnel report that the on-board fire is still smouldering in certain places on the casualty, 31 days after the fire began.

21 October 2002 – All hazardous cargo removed by air by Saturday morning (19 October). Today the last of the containers containing hides – animal skins – will be removed, as per the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism request. SMIT Salvage personnel will continue with efforts to remove balance of oil remaining on board from garage and between decks. This oil was "pushed" into these areas on the tide when the port and starboard fuel tanks were breached shortly after grounding. Salvors will have to locate and pump/skim this oil in order to collect it before it is pumped to a receiving vessel. A hole measuring 3€€3m has been made on the port side through the hull to facilitate oil removal and to introduce fresh air into the space. Salvage personnel are still working with breathing apparatus.

6 November 2002 – All deck cargo has now been cleared by salvors, SMIT Pentow Marine. The remaining deck cargo after the fire principally comprised two containers of chemicals in drums. This cargo has been disposed of at a safe site. Discussions are apparently ongoing between salvors, owners and the South African Maritime Safety Authority as to whether the vessel and cargo may safely be abandoned where it is, particularly as regards hazardous cargo. Salvors are still busy cleaning oily water from the engine-room and extinguishing occasional smouldering fires in the hold.

6 November 2002 – Over the course of the past three weeks, SMIT Salvage personnel working on board the grounded ro/ro Jolly Rubino have completed two important phases of the salvage operation. All hazardous cargo onboard Jolly Rubino has been airlifted off the casualty. SMIT Salvage have removed 2,169 burnt-out drums thought to have contained hazardous cargo, as well as all empty containers from the deck. In addition, three containers containing fire-and water-damaged animal hides were removed. Cargo removed from Jolly Rubino was airlifted by a helicopter to a high security temporary holding area located on land nine miles south of Jolly Rubino and then transported under escort to processing facilities. A total of 407 tonnes of fuel has been removed from the casualty since the fuel removal operation began, including all pumpable fuel as well as the 235.5 tonnes of oil skimmed from the surface of the water in the engine-room, generator room and corridor deck. Remaining fuel in the corridor deck has the consistency of sludge and is very thick due to the absence of lighter fuels following the oil's exposure to fire. Oil skimmed from this area is being stored on the casualty in tanks for later removal, the product being too thick to be pumped. The continued skimming and the removal of the balance of the oil from this area remains a high priority.

24 November 2002 – Civil aviation authorities are still locked in a meeting with the salvage team of ro/ro Jolly Rubino to assess damage to the stranded vessel on the Kwa-Zulu-Natal north coast. This follows the incident yesterday where 11 people narrowly escaped death when a helicopter crash-landed and burst into flames on the deck of the vessel. Captain Nick Sloane, the salvage master, says aviation authorities flew to the vessel yesterday afternoon but could not do so today because of rough seas and strong winds. He says salvage work may resume before the end of this week as soon as they find a new helicopter and investigations have been completed. Meanwhile, four of the nine people that were still at Richards Bay hospital have been discharged. The remaining five are reported to be in a satisfactory condition.

12 December 2002 – SMIT Marine have completed the removal of non-pumpable oil from the corridor deck area of the wrecked ro/ro Jolly Rubino, the company said today. Spokeswoman Clare Gomes said that due to the condition of the ship, the next phase of the salvage operation would involve the blasting of four holes in its structure below the waterline to open it to the sea, thereby assisting its break-up.

16 December 2002 – Ro/ro Jolly Rubino was finally left to the mercy of the waves when a controlled explosion opened the ro-ro vessel to the sea. The ship's owners, Ignazio Messina, announced in October that it would be impossible to re-float or remove the vessel from where it ran aground off the St Lucia coast. A test explosion took place on Thursday (12 December) with the final massive explosion being remotely triggered at 1315 Saturday. The explosion ripped holes in the sides of the vessel which would allow the sea in and hasten the process of degradation. The accommodation section and superstructure will be set alight this week to make the ship unattractive to looters. Kwa-Zulu-Natal Wildlife spokesperson, Jeff Gaisford, said Saturday's explosion releases the remaining sludge oil. He said much of the oil went out to sea, but some came into the bay at Cape St Lucia. There was no threat to the St Lucia Estuary. Gaisford said the spillage was being monitored by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's Kuswag VII oil pollution abatement vessel and the Kuswag VII patrol aircraft. He praised the work of salvors SMIT Salvage whose work had ensured minimal environmental impact.

18 December 2002 – The final phase in the three-month salvage operation of stranded ro/ro Jolly Rubino was started yesterday near St Lucia. The ship's living quarters were set alight after explosives were set and the area was doused with aircraft fuel. This follows the implosion of the wreck's hold when more than 2,700kg of explosives ripped three huge holes in the hull. The latest fire is expected to die by the end of the week and hopefully the living quarters will be totally inaccessible to the prying public, says Clare Gomes of SMIT Salvage. A huge loading ramp at the stern of the vessel had been welded shut early on in salvage operations, said Gomes. The living quarters, damaged earlier when a fire broke out at sea on board the vessel in September, were demolished before being set alight at noon yesterday. Yesterday's fire was set as a deterrent to those who thought valuables were still to be salved from the wreck, said Gomes. Because the ship is stranded about 300m from the shore, it can be reached on foot at low tide.

6 October 2002 – Limburg (French Southern Terrorities).

Crude oil tanker Limburg (157,833gt, built 2000) had a fire and explosion on board at 0800, local time, today while approaching the single point mooring at the Ash Shihr Terminal. A hole was blown in the vessel's side, the second bulkhead is missing and oil is spilling into the sea. A total of 11 crew members abandoned the vessel and were picked up. The vessel's master is still on board. The vessel's engines are functioning and the vessel is presently moving further offshore under its own power.

6 October 2002 – Crude oil tanker Limburg, carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran, is on fire after an explosion on board off Yemen. Officials said they did not believe the blast was caused by terrorists. When the blast occurred 11 crew members jumped overboard and were later picked up. Another 14 remained on board to fight the fire.

6 October 2002 – Fire was raging on board crude oil tanker Limburg off the coast of Yemen today, after its hold leaked crude oil and exploded, Yemeni government officials said. The officials said the Coast Guard had so far rescued 11 of the vessel's 25-member crew off the southeastern port of Mina al Dabah in the Gulf of Aden. "The situation is serious," one official said. "We are trying our best to put out the fire but the flames keep on re-igniting because of the presence of the crude." A Yemeni oil industry source said the vessel was carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil and that it was coming into port from Iran to load more oil. A large amount of the crude had already leaked into the sea, he added. The officials earlier said they did not believe the blast was a "terrorist act".

6 October 2002 –Crude oil tanker Limburg was completely abandoned at 1052, local time. The vessel is still on fire and drifting about eight miles offshore. All but one crew member has been safely evacuated from crude oil tanker Limburg, ablaze off the coast of Yemen, the vessel's owners have said. The vessel caught fire after an explosion on board as it stopped to pick up a pilot near Ash Shihr Terminal. About 12 of the 25 crew jumped overboard to escape the fire, and the rest later abandoned the vessel. A Bulgarian fitter was the only person unaccounted for, owners Euronav SA said.

Salvage BY has been instructed by the owners and underwriters of crude oil tanker Limburg to provide salvage services. Tug/supply Riyan is presently alongside Limburg carrying out fire-fighting operations, and arrangements are in hand to fly in further salvage teams and equipment.

7 October 2002 – Euronav crude oil tanker Limburg was yesterday on fire off Yemen, after a massive explosion ripped through the vessel's side, amid reports from managers that it was rammed by a smaller vessel. First reports of the incident were contradictory, but a junior officer on board the 299,364dwt Limburg said he had seen a small craft "fast approaching" the tanker, positioned off the southern coast of Yemen, immediately before the explosion. Ramming by a small boat laden with explosives was exactly the method used by al-Qaeda to launch a suicide attack on USS Cole in Yemen 2000, killing 17 servicemen. That this latest incident occurs just six days short of the second anniversary of the slaughter on the US warship and adds weight to suspicions of terrorist involvement. Yemini authorities say a technical fault sparked the blaze. The vessel was calling at Ash Shihr to load with crude, possibly at a maritime export terminal operated by Nexen, when the blaze started. It may have been about to meet a pilot vessel. The vessel is operated by Euronav, a Luxembourg-based subsidiary of Compagnie Maritime Beige. It is managed by France Ship management of Brussels, known as Franship, and is believed to have been on charter to Malaysian state oil company Petronas. Franship managing director Captain Peter Raes said that a junior officer on board believed the approaching small vessel had touched Limburg's side. The captain reported an explosion at 0915, local time. A casualty report from the local Lloyd's agent states: "A hole was blown in the vessel's side, the second bulkhead is missing and oil is spilling into the sea." At first, 11 members of the vessel's 25-strong crew reportedly remained on board the vessel – which put out back to sea – to tackle the fire in collaboration with local fire-fighters. Later Lloyd's agent reports said that the vessel was completely abandoned at 1052, local time, still on fire and drifting about eight miles offshore. All but one of the crew, of mixed French and Bulgarian nationality, have since been reported safe, with an estimated 17 in hospital. An oil industry source told Reuters that 397,000 barrels of crude were on board. "The situation is serious," one Yemeni official said. "We are trying our best to put out the fire but the flames keep on re-igniting because of the presence of the crude." Yemen is anxiously maintaining the stance that this was not a case of sabotage, and discounted claims of al-Qaeda involvement. Yemen is Osama bin Laden's ancestral home, and is thought to harbour militants loyal to him, although it denies this. However, the authorities have arrested more than 100 suspected members of the group and other Islamic organisations since 11 September 2001. A senior French diplomat in Sanaa, vice-consul Marcel Goncalves, commented: "It is too soon to say anything. So far, there are many contradictory reports. It could be that a small vessel with explosives collided with the tanker. Maybe something happened, it is too early." However, a Euronav director was more certain. Jacques Moizan said "We consider this a deliberate act." To break through the first hull of this double-hulled tanker, which was only two years old and in very good condition, would require a very powerful force."

7 October 2002 – Crude oil tanker Limburg burned in the Gulf of Aden early today as Yemeni and French experts prepared to investigate an explosion the owners fear was caused by a terror attack. The Yemeni government has ruled out an attack similar to the October 2000, suicide assault on the US destroyer USS Cole in Aden port, saying a fire on board Limburg caused the blast. However, a director of the vessel's owners, Euronav SA, said he thought terrorists using a boat could have been responsible for yesterday's blast as the vessel prepared to take on a pilot and dock at Mina al-Dabah, near Mukalla. Yemeni fire-fighters with foreign help were still trying to put out the flames and clean up a massive oil spill fast approaching Mukalla. Film of the tanker yesterday showed the blaze of a fire in the starboard side of the vessel, almost concealed by thick black smoke. Oil industry sources said the vessel was carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil and had been approaching Mina al- Dabah to load more oil when a hole was blown in its side. All but one of the eight French and 17 Bulgarian crew members were accounted for and Yemeni officials said at least 17 crew members were in hospital. Euronov said the missing man was a Bulgarian. French President Jacques Chirac announced yesterday that French investigators would go to Yemen to join local experts in examining the vessel. A Yemeni official said the team was expected to be in the Arab state today. Euronov said the blast occurred while Limburg was meeting a pilot vessel to bring it into the port. "In my opinion, this was a terrorist attack," Euronav director Jacques Moizan said yesterday. "The crew saw a high-speed vessel approaching on the starboard side. An explosion followed with fire." Yemeni Transport and Marine Affairs Minister Saeed Yafai said one of the vessel's tanks exploded, igniting the fire. A Yemeni official quoted the vessel's master as saying a small fire on board had set off the explosion. Captain Peter Raes, managing director of the owner's management companies, doubted whether the explosion occurred inside the vessel. He said the vessel's master told him an eyewitness had seen a small fishing boat approach and collide with the tanker. Oil industry sources said Limburg had been chartered by the Malaysian state oil company Petronas. A Gulf shipping executive said the disaster could upset the crude tanker market and expected a rise in insurance rates.

7 October 2002 – Crude oil tanker Limburg was towed to a position 13 miles offshore last night. Salvors are now on board the vessel. Wijsmuller Salvage BY are assisting crude oil tanker Limburg, following an incident yesterday morning at Ash Shihr Terminal, off the Yemeni port of Mina al-Dabah. Tug/supply Riyan is on scene. During yesterday, the Riyan used its fire monitors to fight the fire on board Limburg and cool the adjacent hull areas. Overnight, Riyan succeeded in connecting up to Limburg and towed the vessel from a position some four miles off the coast to a location around 17 miles off, to prevent the possibility of the casualty grounding. During the night, a seven-man salvage team, led by a salvage master and including engineers, fire-fighters and divers, arrived in Yemen from Amsterdam, and is now proceeding to Mina al-Dabah. On arrival, the salvage team will board Limburg and carry out a salvage assessment. The immediate options include anchoring the vessel and rigging for fire-fighting on board the casualty. A salvage plan will be prepared on the basis of this assessment. Meanwhile, more salvage resources are being mobilised. The salvage team will be reinforced by additional salvage personnel from The Netherlands and Singapore. Salvage equipment will be flown from Amsterdam to the scene, in response to the salvage master's requirements. Tug 22 May is proceeding to assist in the salvage operation, ETA Wednesday morning (9 October). The damage to Limburg is centred on cargo tank No. 4 starboard, penetrating the double hull at the waterline. There is some cargo outflow from the damaged tank. The incident occurred while the vessel was mooring. The vessel has a part cargo of 50,000 tonnes of crude oil, loaded in tank No. 2 centre and the wing tanks No. 4 port and No. 4 starboard.

7 October 2002 – The salvage team from Wijsmuller Salvage BY have boarded crude oil tanker Limburg to carry out a salvage assessment. A salvage plan will be prepared on the basis of this assessment. The salvage master's first report from the scene stated that the fire remains confined to the area of damage and that oil leakage is much reduced, with only sheen visible in the vicinity of the vessel. On first inspection, the engine-room appears undamaged. Meanwhile, more salvage resources are being mobilised. The salvage team will be reinforced by additional salvage personnel from The Netherlands and Singapore. Salvage equipment will be flown from Amsterdam to the scene tonight, in response to the salvage master's requirements. A supply vessel from Aden, the Sheloop, has been contracted to act as a fire-fighting workbase for the salvage operation. This vessel will depart Aden this evening and is expected to arrive tomorrow (8 October). In addition, a second tug, the Al-Hudaida Port Authority's 22 May, is proceeding to assist in the salvage operation, ETA is Wednesday morning (9 October).

8 October 2002 – Tension was rising on world oil markets yesterday as uncertainty persisted over the cause of the explosion which blew a gaping hole in the double hull of the crude oil tanker Limburg, off the southern coast of Yemen on Sunday (6 October). Crude oil prices showed their highest increase for two weeks amid speculation that the explosion aboard the vessel could be the prelude to a spate of attacks on tankers in the Middle East. Brent crude oil for November delivery rose up to 1.7 per cent to $28.60 per barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange in London. Belgium's CMB shipping group, whose tanker subsidiary, Euronav, owns the Limburg, declined yesterday, however, to confirm its earlier claim that the vessel had been rammed by a smaller vessel carrying explosives after both the French and Yemeni government had refused to accredit this version. Salvors, Svitzer Wijsmuller, said initial assessments revealed the damage was "centred on cargo tank No. 4 starboard, penetrating the double hull at the waterline". Maritime experts said that damage at the waterline was more consistent with that of a terrorist attack similar to that on the USS Cole, two years ago this month than that of an explosion within the tanks. However, French Foreign Affairs Minister Dominique de Yillepin said that no explanation for the explosion could be ruled out, while Yemeni Transport Minister Saeed Yafai told the official Saba news agency that the vessel had been the victim of an on-board accident. Despite France's official reticence to recognize that the Limburg was attacked an investigation into the incident was opened by the anti-terrorist section of the French prosecution service. Claims that the vessel had been rammed like the USS Cole, came from the French vice-consul in Yemen, Marcel Goncalves, and France Shipmanagement, Euronav's ship management arm, which was in contact with the vessel before its 25-strong Franco-Bulgarian crew was evacuated. The fire aboard the Limburg was virtually under control by mid-afternoon yesterday, allowing the salvors to board the vessel for the first time. Captain P. Raes of France Shipmanagement said there was no danger of the vessel sinking. One of the 17 Bulgarians aboard the vessel at the time of the explosion is still missing. He added that contact with the vessel's master and crew had been difficult since the Yemeni authorities had begun their investigation.

8 October 2002 – A fire which burned for hours on board crude oil tanker Limburg has been put out, and investigations into whether the tanker was the target of a terrorist attack are continuing. The Yemeni government said Sunday's (6 October) blaze was an accident caused by an oil leak, but the vessel's owner said it was a "deliberate act". French officials said it was still too early to rule out terrorism. "The fire has been extinguished. We believe the explosion happened from within the tanker, but investigations are still under way," a Yemeni official said yesterday. Strong winds during the night had pushed the vessel further out to sea and away from its destination, Mina al-Dabah. Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul-Kader Bajammal formed a special committee to investigate the blast. The Yemeni official said Yemeni and French investigators would cooperate in the probe. In Paris yesterday, the anti-terrorism section of the prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation, judicial sources said, adding that agents from France's counter-terrorism service were to head for Yemen to investigate. Operations at the port were normal yesterday, with no security forces or coast guard in sight and commercial fishing boats heading out to sea. According to Yemeni officials, the Limburg's master said the fire broke out on board the vessel, and an explosion went off while crewmen tried to bring the blaze under control. In France, officials with Euronav SA, the vessel's owners, said their understanding was that the master, Hubert Ardillon, saw a small fishing boat pulling up to the vessel before the blast. The officials speculated the fishing boat could not have caused such a huge blast unless it was carrying explosives. There were also reports that the explosion occurred as a pilot boat was readying to escort the tanker into Mina al-Dabah.

8 October 2002 – Wijsmuller Salvage BV's salvage team succeeded in extinguishing the fire on board crude oil tanker Limburg at 2030, local time, yesterday. The casualty remains under a slow tow by the tug Riyan at a position some 20 miles off the Yemeni port of Mina al-Dabah. During the afternoon and early evening of yesterday, the salvage team restored a number of vital systems on board the Limburg and used the vessel's own fire-fighting systems to extinguish the fire in No. 4 starboard, one of the vessel's 15 cargo tanks. The fire team is continuing boundary cooling of the area around this tank, to further reduce steel temperatures. When conditions permit, the salvage master and his team will carry out an assessment of damage to tank No. 4 starboard and the adjacent ballast tank. The next phase of work will involve transfer of the remaining contents of the damaged tanks to an intact tank, to reduce the potential for pollution further. During the course of today, 40 tonnes of salvage equipment will be flown to Yemen, arriving during the evening. Special submersible pumps will be transferred to the Limburg, while other equipment will be loaded on the supply vessel Sheloop, contracted to act as a workbase for the salvage team and expected to arrive at Mina al-Dabah this evening. In addition, tug Al Wafi, has been contracted and is also proceeding to the area, with an ETA of Saturday (12 October).

8 October 2002 – Yemeni and French experts were scouring smouldering crude oil tanker Limburg for clues as to whether the blast that gutted the vessel was an accident or a deliberate attack. Yemen insists a fire set off Sunday's (6 October) explosion on the vessel in the Gulf of Aden and not an assault similar to the October 2000, suicide bombing of the US destroyer USS Cole in Aden. The company that chartered the vessel, Malaysia's state-owned oil company Petronas, did not suspect sabotage, the country's prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, said. However, the vessel's owners, Euronav SA, and its crew said "terrorists" could have rammed a boat stuffed with explosives into the vessel as it prepared to be towed to Mina al-Dabah. Shipping experts lent credibility to that view, saying the two-year-old vessel was protected by its double hull. A senior US official, however, said the blast appeared to have taken place on board. Witnesses who saw the vessel said it had a water-level hole on its side with a jagged steel edge protruding outwards, suggesting a blow from within. Yemeni and US officials said a team of US investigators had arrived in Yemen to take part in the probe. Transport and Marine Affairs Minister Saeed Yafai said the Yemeni investigators had started searching the seas around Limburg and on board the ship for evidence. Dutch salvage teams were attending the vessel today. Other salvage teams from Canadian oil firm Nexen helped the Yemeni authorities mop up the crude oil spill. Yemeni officials said the body of a missing Bulgarian crew member, identified as Atanas Atanasov, was recovered today after it washed ashore.

9 October 2002 – Belgium's CMB, owner of the 299,364dwt crude oil tanker Limburg, said it was hoping to release an initial report yesterday evening on the circumstances of the explosion which blew a hole in the side of the vessel on Sunday. French, Belgian and Yemeni investigators opened their examination of the stricken tanker yesterday with CMB saying it hoped to have the first conclusions in the course of the evening or during the night. Captain Francois Tavernier, marine manager of France Shipmanagement, a subsidiary of CMB's tanker arm, Euronav, said "I don't think they will need a long time to make their conclusions." He indicated, however, that confusion around the cause of the explosion was unlikely to be resolved immediately as the investigators' findings might not be made public. "It will depend on what the French inspectors want to say," he said. The French Foreign Affairs Ministry said yesterday that it could be several days before anything could be said with any certainty about the cause of the explosion aboard the vessel. The three French investigators, who are believed to be from the French marine accident investigation bureau, BEA-Mer, arrived in Yemen yesterday with Captain Peter Raes, managing director of France Shipmanagement, and a senior member of the company's technical staff.

9 October 2002 – Yemeni and French experts continued to search the crude oil tanker Limburg yesterday for clues to whether a blast that tore a hole in its hull Sunday (6 October) in the Gulf of Aden was an accident or an attack. Yemen, trying to shed an image as a haven for Islamic militants, says the explosion and ensuing blaze were triggered inside the French-flagged tanker. But the owners, Euronav SA, and the crew say they believe assailants rammed a boat packed with explosives into the vessel as it waited to be towed into port, evoking the suicide bombing of the destroyer USS Cole in Aden almost exactly two years ago. A Reuters correspondent who flew over the tanker in a helicopter saw an oval-shaped hole about 26ft wide with the edges pointing inward, suggesting the damage had been caused by an external blast. Last month the US Navy warned of possible attacks by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group on tankers in the Gulf and the Red Sea. Sunday was the eve of the anniversary of the start of the US military campaign that drove bin Laden and al-Qaeda out of their base in Afghanistan and ousted the Islamic Taliban government that had sheltered them. The head of Yemen's probe, Transport and Marine Affairs Minister Saeed Yafai, said he still thought it was an accident. "Our visit to the vessel today did not change our previous position, but we are looking for the truth, if it is a criminal terrorist act," he told reporters. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the state-run oil company Petronas, which chartered the vessel, did not suspect sabotage. US investigators are also taking part in the probe. A senior US official said the blast, which might have caused greater damage but for the two-year-old tanker's double hull, appeared to have happened on board. Officials in France, which launched an anti-terror probe, were refusing to speculate on the cause of the blast, although French diplomats in Sanaa initially said they believed the Limburg had been attacked. Yemeni officials said around 50,000 barrels of crude oil had leaked into the sea, around an eighth of its cargo. Some burned off, but Yemeni environmental officials said that oil had spread over 300 miles of ocean. Patches of oil floated onto the shore near Mukalla and dead fish and birds covered with oil littered the coast. "This is a tragic incident which has caused great damage to Yemen's marine life, especially in this region which is rich in fisheries," Yafai said, adding that more than 6,000 local fishermen could be affected. Dutch salvage teams were working on the wreck of the tanker and Petronas said it was sending two replacement tankers to pick up the oil still on board.

9 October 2002 – Wijsmuller Salvage BV's team is continuing to progress the salvage of crude oil tanker Limburg off the port of Mina al-Dabah. Having extinguished the fire, cooling of the surrounding area continues. Five of the tanker's crew have joined the salvage team on board the vessel, to assist in the progressive restoration of its systems. The generators have been started and are operational. The fire was extinguished using the Limburg's own fire-fighting systems – restarted by the salvage team. The objectives are now as follows:

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  To continue the detailed damage assessment. It appears that the Limburg has sustained further damage extending beyond the hole in her side. This damage needs to be evaluated.

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  To ensure that tank atmospheres are safe. This will require restoration of the tanker's inert gas system and the "topping up" of all tanks with inert gas. This work will begin with the laden tanks, followed by undamaged empty tanks and, finally, the damaged spaces.

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  To further reduce environmental risk, it is intended to pump the oil/water contents of the damaged cargo tank (No. 4 starboard), together with an associated ballast tank, to an undamaged tank within the vessel.

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  Changing the ballast/cargo distribution: it should be possible to move ballast or oil within the vessel in such a way as to induce a moderate list to port and so bring the damaged area around No. 4 starboard above the waterline.

The Limburg continues under a slow tow by tug Riyan at a position off Mina al-Dabah. The first additional vessel to arrive, the Shetoop, is in the area of the convoy at present. Some 40 tonnes of salvage equipment, flown in from The Netherlands, is expected to arrive at the terminal overnight. A second tug, the Al-Hudaida Port Authority's tug 22 May, is expected on scene tomorrow morning. In addition, the 75 tonnes bollard pull tug Al Wafi is proceeding to the area and is expected to arrive during Saturday morning (12 October).

10 October 2002 – The first clear photographs of the hole that was ripped into the side of CMB's tanker, crude oil tanker Limburg, by a mystery explosion on Sunday (6 October) support claims by the crew that the vessel was the subject of a terrorist attack. Photographs released by Reuters clearly show that the metal at the edges of the 8m-wide hole is bent inwards in a manner more consistent with reports from the vessel's master that it was subject to a bomb attack than with the theory put forward by the Yemeni government and the US State Department that the explosion came from within the vessel. The location of the hole at the waterline and the absence of any noticeable blast damage to the deck of the vessel would also support the bomb theory. US and French anti-terrorist investigators were still waiting to go aboard yesterday as they seek to establish whether or not tankers have become the latest terrorist target. A vessel superintendent from Euronav shipmanagement arm, France Shipmanagement, was able to go aboard the vessel with five crew members, however, as the operator brought safety plant aboard for the generation of compressed air and inert gas. The company's marine manager, Captain Tavernier, said that this had become necessary because the atmosphere in the vessel's undamaged cargo tanks had become explosive. Adding to fears that terrorists are stepping up their activities in the region, Qatar's al-Jazeera television channel broadcast the alleged voice of senior al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri claiming that the group had carried out attacks on French and German targets and that Osama bin Laden was still alive. It was not clear whether the comments pertained to the tanker attack, or even whether it was Mr al-Zawahri. As the controversy and confusion over the cause of the explosion continued, Yemeni Transport and Maritime Affairs Minister Said al-Yafhi said: "If the investigation establishes that it was a terrorist attack, we are not going to try to cover it up. If it was a criminal terrorist attack, we want to know. Yemen has suffered from terrorism and is doing its best to combat it." One party watching developments in Yemen closely is Greek operator Tsakos Shipping & Trading, as its aframax tanker, the Ideal, is due to become the next vessel to load at the Yemeni port of Ash Shihr. Tsakos said yesterday it was still waiting on instructions from the vessel's charterer ChevronTexaco over whether to go alongside at the Nexen terminal to load some five days after the vessel first arrived in Yemen.

10 October 2002 – Wijsmuller Salvage BV's team is continuing to improve the condition of crude oil tanker Limburg, off Mina al-Dabah. The salvage master has reported that good progress has been made in his team's efforts to bring the tanker's main systems on-line. The main engine of Limburg has been tested and is operational and the generators have been started, providing power and restoring normal conditions in the accommodation. The boiler was started up yesterday and work continues to top up tanks with inert gas, to gain progressive control of these spaces and reduce the risk of hazardous atmospheres. The priority in the inerting programme are the cargo tanks laden with crude oil, followed by the non-loaded tanks and, finally, the ballast tanks. During yesterday, tank soundings were taken. This task will be repeated today, to check for leakages. The soundings yesterday indicate no apparent leakage from the intact, laden cargo tanks. Limburg is now being held in position offshore Mina al-Dabah by tug 22 May. The tug connected up to the stern of Limburg this morning, releasing the terminal tug Riyan, which has since returned to the terminal. In addition, supply Sheloop arrived from Aden, yesterday, and is now at the terminal, awaiting the arrival of salvage equipment, by truck convoy. Later today, Sheloop will load pumps and other salvage equipment, for transfer to Limburg. Sheloop will then return to the terminal, to load fire-fighting equipment and take up station close to Limburg in the role of standby vessel. Tug Al Wafi is also proceeding to the area, with an ETA of Saturday morning (12 October). Priorities today include transferring more salvage equipment to the Limburg, carrying out a fresh round of soundings, progressive improvement of tank atmospheres, provision of the Sheloop as fire-fighting/standby vessel and planning for eventual tow/escort to a suitable location for a ship-to-ship transfer of remaining cargo, prior to redelivery.

11 October 2002 – French investigators have confirmed growing fears that tankers have become the latest "soft" target for terrorists after evidence of an attacking vessel was found during the first detailed inspection of the crude oil tanker Limburg yesterday. "We found debris of a boat which obviously does not belong to the tanker," said Jean- Francois Perrouty, noting the debris was made of fibreglass. He said the French Foreign Ministry would be issuing a communique about the result of the first day of the investigations this morning. The evidence revealed late last night put paid to theories propounded by Yemeni and US authorities that the blast, that caused the death of one member of the tanker's 25-man crew on Sunday (6 October), had been the result of an internal explosion. "It might have been an arranged and deliberate act, and a meticulously planned one, for that matter," said one Yemeni official on condition of anonymity. The revelation coincided with a report in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat which said it received a statement from a fundamentalist group in Yemen claiming responsibility for the explosion. According to the newspaper the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, a militant group accused of carrying out several bombings and kidnappings of foreigners in Yemen, said it carried out the attack on the tanker to avenge the execution of one of its leaders, Zein al-Abidine al-Mihdar. The group is believed to have links with the al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin Laden and was established by Yemenis and other Arabs who fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The governor of Hadramout, Abdul Kader Hilal, questioned the claim, saying the group did not have the means to carry out such an operation. He acknowledged, nevertheless, that a member of the group was among those who had been rounded up for questioning. The terrorist attack signals a change in al-Qaeda's escalating sea-borne jihad from military to civilian vessels, US officials said. Marine General Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, outlined the new approach on Monday at a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington. He told journalists it was likely that al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups might be shifting away from well-defended naval vessels to softer targets, such as oil carriers like the Limburg. A party of 15 or 16 French, American and Yemeni investigators went aboard the Limburg for the first time yesterday morning. The party comprised seven representatives of French and American security forces, three French and four American, two French marine accident investigators, a French explosives expert, a French pollution expert and four Yemenis. The representative of the owner of the Limburg, Captain Peter Raes, managing director of France Shipmanagement, the ship management arm of Euronav, tanker subsidiary of Belgium's CMB group, was not allowed aboard the vessel. A France Shipmanagement superintendent was, nevertheless, working aboard the vessel with a number of crew members to get vital equipment back into service.

11 October 2002 – Wijsmuller Salvage BV is now developing the next phase of the operation to salvage the crude oil tanker Limburg, off the Yemeni port of Mina al-Dabah. During yesterday afternoon, 40 tonnes of salvage equipment, flown to Yemen and trucked to the terminal, was loaded on board the supply vessel Sheloop. The Sheloop then proceeded to the Limburg, to act as standby fire-fighting vessel. At first light today, the salvage team transferred pumps and other salvage gear to the Limburg's main deck. Overnight, work continued to top up the Limburg's tanks with inert gas, to maintain safe atmospheres. During this morning, inspections confirmed that the tanker remains in a stable condition. Other tasks for today include more soundings of the Limburg's tanks and the preparation of equipment for a diving inspection. The Limburg remains under a slow tow (1.5kts) by the tug 22 May, off Mina al-Dabah and within the 12-mile zone.

11 October 2002 – France's defence minister said today investigators found traces of TNT on crude oil tanker Limburg that exploded in what authorities believe was a terrorist attack. Specialists from France, Yemen and the USA have been trying to determine what caused the blast and fire on the vessel. Investigators said metal and plastic pieces found on the deck suggested the ship was rammed by a smaller craft. The tanker was brought into Mina al-Dabah port by three tugs today. "What we have received overnight indicates that this was an attack, since parts of a small boat and traces of TNT were found inside the tanker," French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said in Paris today. French investigator Jean-Francois Perrouty told French television channel France 3 yesterday that debris found on the deck of the tanker did not come from the tanker. "We found on the Limburg deck some parts mainly made of plastic and of a mixed glass-resin material used for constructing yachts and, in Yemen, fishing boats. We found that on the tanker deck along with some metal debris," he said. Yemen's minister of sea transport, though, said the parts might have come from the tanker's own life boat. "Investigators have indeed found fiberglass parts but they might be from the tanker's rescue boat that was damaged in the accident. The parts will be sent to laboratories to be tested and determine whether it belonged to the damaged boat," Minister of Sea Transport Saeed Yafaei said yesterday, according to the official Yemen news agency Saba.

14 October 2002 – The crew of crude oil tanker Limburg, damaged in a suspected terror attack, was allowed to leave the country as French and US investigators prepared to wrap up their work, a senior Yemeni official said today. The official, close to the investigation, said on condition of anonymity that the French and US experts investigating the 6 October explosion and fire aboard the Limburg were expected to leave Tuesday (15 October). The Limburg's crew, 16 Bulgarians and eight French, was due to leave Thursday. Officials from the Limburg's Belgium-based owners, meanwhile, said a fresh crew for the US$80 million Limburg began to assemble at Al Mukalla while waiting for the Yemeni government's permission to allow the tanker to be towed away for repairs, possibly in the Gulf port of Dubai. No date was given for the Limburg's departure. Yemeni officials said that the Yemeni, French and US experts examined the Limburg's tanks today, but did not say whether the search produced any clues that could help establish the exact cause of the blast.

15 October 2002 – Wijsmuller Salvage BV continues to assist the international team investigating the explosion on board crude oil tanker Limburg in Yemeni waters. Over the last few days, salvage divers have performed underwater surveys of the damaged area and have provided updates to the investigators. The tanker remains at a position off the port of Mina al-Dabah, connected up to the tug Al Wafi. This tug has taken over from the tug 22 May, which has been released. In addition, the supply vessel Sheloop, equipped with fire-fighting systems, remains on standby in the area. When the investigators have finished their work, the salvage team intends to ballast down the Limburg, bringing the main area of damage under the waterline. This will create a water-lock and allow the damaged tanks to be inerted, preventing the build-up of hazardous atmospheres. At present the damaged spaces are being ventilated by water-driven ventilators. Meanwhile, the Wijsmuller salvage team continues with a programme of work to prepare the vessel for eventual tow/escort to a suitable location for a ship-to-ship transfer of the remaining cargo, prior to redelivery. The work includes tank soundings and continuous inerting of tanks, together with detailed inspection of the vessel's internal structures.

16 October 2002 – Yemeni authorities have publicly acknowledged that the blast which ripped through crude oil tanker Limburg was a deliberate act of terrorism. Investigators believe the tanker was rammed by a small boat Yemen's Interior Minister, Rashad al-Alimi, told the country's official news agency Saba that the explosion on 6 October was "a deliberate act of terror carried out by an explosive-laden boat". Tests of items collected by investigators on the ship also revealed traces of explosives, the minister said. It is the first time a Yemeni government minister has acknowledged that the blast on the oil tanker, which killed one crew member and sent more than 90,000 barrels of oil pouring into the Gulf of Aden, was deliberate. Yemeni authorities have tightened security around the country's ports following the attack, the country's sea transport ministry announced yesterday. The admission also comes as the Paris public prosecutor's anti-terrorist division began an investigation into the tanker explosion, judicial sources told French news agency AFP. It is now thought that the Limburg was rammed by a small boat noticed shortly before the blast occurred. The theory was backed up by the earlier discovery of fragments from a small marine vessel on the deck of the vessel.

19 October 2002 – The livelihood of thousands of fishermen is being threatened by the leak of crude oil caused by fire on crude oil tanker Limburg. The oil slick is having serious impact on fish and other marine life in the area, in addition to the nearby fishing industry. Preliminary information available at al-Shahar area confirms fish in the area have died in the oilslicks. More than 250 fishermen from Shahar area have also stopped fishing there. The area is renowned for having large quantities of the highest quality kinds of fish in the world. Area fishing provides a living for more than 2,000 people. Their livelihoods are threatened by the oil slicks. The environmental hazard is threatening the coast off Mukalla port, and the coast off Hadramaut. Such a threat would, however, threaten livelihoods of as many as 7,200 fishermen who fish in the broader area. Yemen's Minister of Tourism and Environment Abdulmalik al-Eryani has said the environmental impact of this incident is expected to be grave, both economically and socially. Ecological consequences are expected to last for a long time because of poor equipment used for probing the water damage and in cleaning it up, and wind movement which is causing the slick to spread. Experts believe that the burning of the tanker off the Mukalla port threatens not only all marine life, but also birds. Vapors rising from the oil may be carried across the larger coastal area. Experts warn that oil contains many poisons that may also cause cancers. To avoid further disaster, crews are attempting to clean the shores by moving large quantities of sand, and dumping it far from shore. Other water pollution can be confined with special equipment, shovels and sweepers. This equipment is not available in Yemen, so the country needs to get it quickly before it can do the clean-up. The oil tanker incident has added an unexpected burden on the Yemeni state budget and the government's development efforts. This is also putting pressure on to speedily deal with clean-up costs.

14 November 2002 – Prestige (Bahamas)

Salvage tugs are now assisting crude oil tanker Prestige (42,820 gt, built 1976), managed by Universe Maritime of Greece. The vessel developed a list while off Cape Finisterre yesterday afternoon. Earlier today, two of the four salvage tugs in attendance connected up to Prestige and the vessel is now being towed away from the Spanish coastline. SMIT Salvage has been awarded a Lloyd's Form salvage contract. SMIT's Spanish associates Technosub, have a response team on board the tanker and the Dutch salvage master and his team are expected to board the ship during this afternoon. The salvage master will inspect the vessel and prepare a salvage plan. Prestige developed a heavy list yesterday. As a precautionary measure, 24 crew members were airlifted ashore. The master and two officers remained on board and succeeded in reducing the list by transferring ballast, so improving the vessel's stability and rendering it fit for towage. Prestige is carrying a cargo of around 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil. There was some loss of cargo when the list first developed. The vessel's position is now some ten miles offshore.

14 November 2002 – The SMIT Salvage team attending the stricken crude oil tanker Prestige have successfully connected a towline to the drifting vessel. The connection of the towline has put a halt to the vessel's drift towards the Spanish coast. Two tugs are now attending the vessel and latest reports from the scene confirm that there is no longer a major threat of the vessel grounding itself on the Spanish coast. In a further development, a SMIT Salvage team has been airlifted by helicopter to Prestige. The Salvage team was mobilised in response to the previously reported awarding of a Lloyd's Open Form 2000 Scopic contract to provide emergency assistance to the stricken vessel. Fully laden with a cargo of 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil, salvage efforts are focusing on a number of key areas. The first priority for the salvage team is to investigate the cause of the problem and thereafter to implement measures to remedy the situation. Another important goal for the Salvage team is the stabilizing of the vessel. Weather on site is improving with the winds lightening from the gale force 10 and 11 conditions experienced over the past 24 hours. Throughout this operation, SMIT Salvage has worked in close cooperation with their Spanish associates Technosub.

14 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige is currently in tow, proceeding on northwest course and 17 miles from coast at 1731, local time. SMIT Salvage crew proceeding.

15 November 2002 – Stricken crude oil tanker Prestige drifted to within three miles of the Spanish coastline and certain catastrophe yesterday before salvors could secure lines on board and tow it into deeper water. By late afternoon local maritime officials said there was an oil slick stretching 20 miles behind the vessel, raising fears of an ecological and economic disaster in a region where shellfish farming and fishing are important industries. "This could ruin us," a local fisherman told Spanish reporters. Prestige appears to have sustained hull damage during heavy weather on Wednesday. Authorities in Galicia were making preparations to protect the coastline with booms amid fears that the ship could break up and spill thousands of tonnes of oil into the sea. By midday yesterday, Dutch company SMIT Salvage, working with its Spanish affiliate Technosub, had managed to secure two towlines to the vessel, which was fast in danger of running aground. The vessel, now also under its own power and stabilized, is heading out to sea with the tugs, where a team of ten salvage experts will assess its condition and decide what to do next. The tanker's manager, Universe Maritime, was seeking permission to bring the vessel into port but, with weather conditions severe, Spanish authorities were wary. "We hope to persuade them that a port of refuge should be given. That would be our primary plan, but it is early in the day. We hope the authorities will allow this ship to take shelter so that the problems are not made worse," said a spokesman for Universe. Lars Walden, spokesman for SMIT, said its salvage team was already on board the vessel but he could give no indication as to the extent of the damage or how it was caused.

15 November 2002 – Navy vessels escorted crude oil tanker Prestige away from the northwest Spanish coast this morning, leaving behind a 23-mile oil slick and a diplomatic spat with Britain over Gibraltar. Rescue services succeeded yesterday in attaching towlines to Prestige and restarting its engines, and by dawn today the ship had limped a safe 62 miles from Spain's coastline with eight crew and ten salvage personnel on board. The tanker was escorted out of Spanish waters by five rescue vessels and two Spanish navy vessels as Spain underlined its determination to ensure that the vessel moved at least 120 miles from its coast and could not return to a Spanish port. While fears the tanker could break up had lifted, Prestige left in its wake a bubbling diplomatic row between Madrid and London over the disputed colony of Gibraltar. Spain alleged that Prestige regularly plied the route between Latvia and Gibraltar, neither of which, it said, belonged to the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, a body responsible for ship inspections. Spanish radio reported that EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio had said the Commission would seek an explanation from the British government as to why it had not ordered an inspection of Prestige in accordance with EU rules. "There are many circumstances here which are difficult to understand. The way in which the ship was abandoned, and the refusal to accept towing services offered by Spanish authorities," it added.

15 November 2002 – Salvage tug Fotiy Krylov has now arrived at the position of crude oil tanker Prestige and its services are available on Lloyd's Standard Form basis.

15 November 2002 – Salvage tugs continue to assist crude oil tanker Prestige. The tugs towed the vessel to a holding position some 60 miles clear of the Spanish coast and, following fresh instructions from the Spanish authorities, are now moving the tanker to a distance of at least 120 miles offshore. The SMIT salvage master reports no change in the vessel's condition overnight. Four Spanish tugs are attending the vessel. Two tugs are connected up to the casualty and are towing at four knots. The priorities today are to complete a full damage assessment and, based on the findings of this evaluation, prepare a salvage plan. SMIT has a salvage team of ten on board, together with salvage personnel from Technosub, SMIT's Spanish associates. In addition, eight members of the vessel's crew are on board, assisting the salvage team. Prestige has sustained some damage to its side plating and the cause is now under investigation. It is estimated that around 2,000 tonnes of oil, 2.6 per cent of the total cargo, was lost. The vessel's list has been corrected. Weather conditions off Corunna at present are moderate, with a NW wind, force 4/5 (moderate/fresh breeze). Prestige was last inspected by a Port State Control Authority on 28 October 2002, at St Petersburg. There were no deficiencies and all vessel documentation was found to be in compliance with national and international regulations.

15 November 2002 – Spanish police arrested the Greek master of stricken crude oil tanker Prestige today as fears grew that his vessel, carrying more than 70,000 tons of fuel oil, could break up, causing a disastrous spill. Captain Apostolos Mangouras was taken into custody by two police officers after he and remaining crew members aboard the Prestige were evacuated from the vessel and flown to the northwestern Spanish port of Corunna. The Spanish government's representative in the Galicia region, Arsenio Fernandez de Mesa, said he was arrested on suspicion of disobeying authorities and harming the environment. Local newspaper La Voz de Galicia said Mangouras refused for several hours Wednesday night (13 November) to allow tugs to tow his listing vessel away from the Spanish coast while he haggled over the price of the tugs.

16 November 2002 – Small portions of an oil slick reached the coast of northwest Spain today from crude oil tanker Prestige that ruptured Wednesday night (13 November) in a storm and remains in danger of breaking up. The Prestige, with most of its 77,000 tonne cargo, remained tenuously secured to tugboats about 90 nautical miles into the Atlantic Ocean. With a 33-50ft crack in the hull below the waterline, it was being battered by rough weather and was unable to proceed under its own power. "Ideally, we'd like to get it to a point of shelter. But due to the storm, that doesn't look possible. We'll just have to wait for the bad weather to change," Lars Walder of the SMIT Salvage company said. "The next 20 hours are crucial," he added. "We are hopeful that we will be able to rescue the vessel." As winds reached 50mph and wave heights topped 23ft, SMIT's experts manned the tugboats and intended to try landing a repair crew by helicopter. Walder said the next step is to turn the Prestige around so the damaged hull is protected from the waves, at which point it might be possible to repair the crack or transfer the oil to another vessel. It is unclear what might happen to the Prestige after that. Spain does not want the damaged vessel travelling near shore, entering a Spanish port and possibly endangering shipping or the environment.

16 November 2002 – Spain is battling to contain an oil spill from crude oil tanker Prestige on its scenic northwestern coast as churning seas threatened to break-up the vessel, carrying more than 70,000 tonnes of oil. Tugs today towed the tanker more than 65 miles from the unspoiled stretch of Galician shore after Spain ordered that it be moved from its territorial waters. A salvage crew fought to keep the vessel intact amid 7m waves and environmental groups warned its break up could cause a massive ecological disaster. Galician residents, many of whom rely on fishing for their livelihood, said strong winds had already driven a 37km slick left in the vessel's wake onto the shore. Rescue authorities deployed floating barriers to contain more than 3,000 tonnes of fuel oil, but witnesses said the sea had been covered in a dark layer of fuel oil up to 40cm thick and the craggy coastline now stank of fuel. Police arrested the Greek master after he and the remaining crew were evacuated yesterday on suspicion of disobeying authorities and harming the environment. A spokesman for SMIT Salvage said a 10m gash below the waterline in the hull had not widened and the vessel was no longer leaking fuel. However, he said force 5 (fresh breeze) winds were forecast to continue for the next 48 hours and at present no government had offered a safe harbour for the vessel. "The next 20 hours will be crucial," Lars Walder said. "But if the vessel does sink, it is possible that the tanks will hold and it will take the fuel with it to the bottom of the sea." Spain's Agriculture and Fishing Minister Miguel Arias played down the threat: "The fast action of Spanish authorities, towing the vessel far away from shore, has prevented a major environmental disaster."

17 November 2002 – Rescue crews off Spain's north western coast are fighting to keep a giant oil slick from becoming a major environmental disaster as dead wildlife began washing up on the shore. Rough seas today have made it impossible to transfer the 70,000 tonnes of oil carried by crude oil tanker Prestige after it shed more than 3,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the sea when it was damaged in a storm on Wednesday (13 November). The Spanish government has ordered Dutch salvage tugs towing Prestige south about 100km offshore through pounding 7m Atlantic waves to stop. "The weather has improved, although there are gale force winds predicted for Wednesday," said Lars Walder, a spokesman for SMIT Salvage. "Spanish authorities have ordered us to stop the convoy." He said the salvage company was trying to arrange for a sheltered harbour where it could transfer fuel from the tanker. He said it was no longer leaking oil and did not appear in imminent danger. Authorities suspended coastal fishing along a 60-mile stretch of the Galician coast – noted by Spanish gourmets for its goose barnacles, octopus and crabs – and deployed some 18km of inflatable barriers to try to contain the slick. Ecologists rushed to the beaches to rescue oil-coated gulls and cormorants. Some have already washed up dead and a thick black sludge rolled in along a stretch of more than 50km of the Galician coast. "The coastal lagoons are a transitory zone for migrating birds and if the slick reaches those, it will do a lot of damage," said environmental official Alberto Fernandez. Environmental officials said several guillemots, an endangered species, had been affected and that 20 heavily covered birds had been taken to a recovery centre in Corunna. The Spanish government said today it would reimburse coastal residents affected by the slick, but fishermen said it would take several months, if not years, for stocks of shellfish to recover. The Greek master of Prestige was due to testify in court today.

18 November 2002 – An oil slick that stretched for 190km hit the coast of Galicia yesterday, as salvage operations on board crude oil tanker Prestige continued, 65 miles off the Spanish mainland. The Spanish government is drawing up a programme of financial aid for those affected. The vessel is no longer leaking fuel oil and is being towed by two tugs, operated by SMIT Salvage and its Spanish associate Technosub, with three more tugs on site. Lars Walder, spokesman for the Dutch company, said yesterday that it was hard to assess the damage to the vessel's starboard side. Most of it is under water, but it is very extensive, he said. The salvage company has a sixth tug on its way to the scene and plans to turn the vessel around to protect the damaged side from heavy swell. Hopes of transferring the 77,000 tonne cargo of fuel oil to another vessel, in Spanish waters, have been ruled out by Madrid, which wants Prestige at least 60 miles from shore, Mr Walder said. The salvage company said it would make approaches to authorities in Portugal, but that it was not hopeful of a positive response. The plan now is to tow the vessel south, in search of sheltered water, towards the Cape Verde Islands, but there is a question of whether or not the damaged hull will remain intact for long enough. Separately, Spain has arrested the vessel's Greek master, Apostolus Manglouras, amid claims that he failed to co-operate with emergency rescue vessels, after issuing a call for help last Wednesday. For hours, as Prestige drifted perilously close to shore, Mr Manglouras refused to let tugs secure cables to his vessel, officials said.

18 November 2002 – Spanish officials say they are "optimistic" of avoiding a major environmental disaster off the country's northwest coast from leakage from crude oil tanker Prestige. Most of the cargo of Prestige is still on board the ship, although spillages have caused slicks up to 40cm thick along the shoreline. The Spanish authorities have set up floating barriers and winds have changed, pushing some of the oil back out to sea. The master of Prestige was remanded in custody yesterday evening with bail set at 3 million. Apostolos Mangouras is accused of failing to co-operate with salvage crews and harming the environment. A diplomatic row erupted yesterday between Spain and Britain over responsibility for the stricken tanker. London has officially denied Spanish reports that Prestige was heading for Gibraltar. The slick has been washing up on the picturesque shore of Galicia, covering birds with oil. Spain has imposed a fishing ban along a 100km stretch of sea between Cape Tourinan and Caion since the appearance of oil on the shore between the cape and Roncudo. Ecologists say corals, sponges and fish will be damaged by the pollution. Migratory birds which stop over in the area are also at risk.

18 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige, under tow by two tugs some 65 miles off the Spanish shore, has started leaking fuel oil again. At first light this morning, a new three-mile by one-mile slick was detected trailing behind the vessel. SMIT Salvage had hoped to find sheltered water closer to the mainland to carry out a ship-to-ship transfer of the vessel's cargo, but the Spanish government ruled that option out. It wants the ship to sail away from its coasts to the 120-mile mark. Spanish officials estimate that the Prestige has lost about 5,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the sea. Spanish television this morning broadcast images of a thick black tide that is affecting up to 200km of the Galician coast. SMIT plans to tow the ship south in search of a place of refuge but it is facing the prospect of having to sail as far as Cape Verde before it can tranship the fuel to another vessel. The salvage master has decided to keep all work on board the vessel to daylight hours only for safety reasons. Three other tugs are on site with the vessel and another is expected to arrive in the coming hours. That vessel will attach a line to the stern of the Prestige before salvors try to turn it around in order to protect the damaged starboard side from the heavy swell. Television images of the ship show that the side plating on several of the starboard tanks has been completely lost, though much of the damage is under water and is therefore hard to assess.

18 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige: SMIT Salvage have called in tug De Da to assist with the ongoing salvage effort on board the vessel. De Da, with a bollard pull of 200 tonnes, has been assigned the task of connecting to the stern of the stricken vessel and manoeuvring it away from the continued battering of incoming waves. With Prestige exposed to the violent Atlantic conditions, it can be reported that the salvage team has had no option but to head south in search of calmer waters. The vessel's condition is stable and the tow continues on a southerly track, with the convoy some 70 miles offshore. The decision to proceed on a southerly heading is dictated by hostile weather to the north. The weather on scene is currently moderate, with force 3-4 (gentle breeze-moderate breeze) winds. Weather conditions are forecast to remain unchanged for the next 24-hour period. The situation on board Prestige remains volatile and dependent upon weather conditions. Over the past 72 hours the salvage team has been able to stabilize the vessel but calmer waters are vital if the vessel's cargo is to be saved.

19 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige has almost broken in two and is sagging badly. SMIT Salvage can confirm that crude oil tanker Prestige is currently breaking up in international waters. The Salvage team remains on scene but has had no choice but to disconnect from the stricken vessel.

19 November 2002 – The rear section of crude oil tanker Prestige has sunk, a spokesman for SMIT Salvage said today. "The aft part of the ship has sunk. The front part is still floating but it will sink. A lot of oil went down with this (aft) part," Lars Walder said by telephone from Rotterdam. Walder said winds and currents would determine whether more oil reached the coast.

19 November 2002 – The Spanish navy is considering whether to sink the fore section of crude oil tanker Prestige amid fears that it could pose a serious danger to navigation. The aft section sank at midday today after the ship started to break up in the early hours of the morning. Reports from the site indicate that the extent of the pollution has not worsened. The hope is that what remains of its cargo will be contained within the two parts of Prestige as it sinks to the seabed 3,600m below.

19 November 2002 – Greek manager Universe Maritime recognized the severity of the spill from crude oil tanker Prestige that has devastated Galicia, where communities rely on the sea and tourism for their income. Arrangements are already being made for those seeking compensation under the terms of the Civil Liability Convention, paid by the ship owner and the Fund Convention, paid by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund. Over 200km of Galicia's coast is now affected by the oil. As the vessel sank, the company was hopeful that further pollution would be minimal. The water depth on location is 3,600m. At that extreme depth and low temperature, the oil is expected to solidify, so reducing the environmental impact.

20 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige had extensive steel replacement carried out last year in the mid-ship cargo tanks along which it snapped in two yesterday. An investigation led by flag state Bahamas into the causes of the casualty is focusing on the damage sustained in No. 2 and No. 4 starboard tanks before the break-up, which occurred in the area of No. 3 cargo tanks where the ship was subjected to the most stress. Investigators believe the initial damage was sustained by the vessel's starboard ballast tanks and later spread to its cargo tanks, leading to extensive spillage of a cargo of fuel oil while salvage operations were only just getting under way. Reports of damaged bulkheads are also being investigated. But there are no clear indications at this stage of what caused the initial damage. Classification society ABS, which is working closely with the Bahamas Maritime Authority, carried out an in-depth review of the ship's fifth special survey, in May 2001 in a yard in Guangzhou. Extensive steel replacement was carried out on the vessel during that dry docking, particularly in the areas of the vessel which sustained severe damage during stormy weather last week. Counter-ballasting measures to correct a severe list in the early hours of the casualty placed the ship under greater stress than the maximum levels that the hull was designed to withstand. The problem was compounded because salvors were refused permission to enter calmer coastal waters and were forced to tow the crippled vessel out into the Atlantic. On the high seas, experts said the hull was subjected to double the maximum bending stresses than it was designed to withstand. Under those conditions, "further deterioration was inevitable", said ABS spokesman Stewart Wade. ABS said it had closely analysed photographic evidence of the survey in China and had not detected any areas of concern. Thickness gaugings indicated that there was less than 10 per cent wastage on the vessel's side plating, which is well within the allowable margins. Neither is there any evidence to suggest that hyper-accelerated corrosion might have been a factor in the loss, not least because the No. 3 tank was not coated.

20 November 2002 – Universe Maritime of Greece, managers of crude oil tanker Prestige, deeply regret the distress caused by the spill on the Spanish coast. Work continues on arrangements to allow those who feel they may suffer loss to register claims for compensation in a timely, efficient way. The company notes that Spain is a party to the Civil Liability Convention, concerned with the share of compensation paid by the vessel owner, and the Fund Convention, concerned with the share of compensation paid by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund. Mare Shipping, the owners of Prestige, are fully covered for the ship owner's share of liability. Mare Shipping are entered with the London Club, a leading third party liability insurer. Universe Maritime and the London Club are receiving expert assistance from the International Tanker Owners' Pollution Federation (ITOPF). ITOPF has made a first assessment of the likely behaviour of the oil inside the wreck of Prestige (estimated to be around 70-90 per cent of the cargo of 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil). Oil Spill Response Ltd contracted by the Spanish government, are also providing assistance. It is thought that the extreme depth (3,600m) and the low temperature at the seabed will semi-solidify the oil, much reducing the likelihood of significant leakage. The ITOPF team on-scene will continue to offer advice and guidance to the authorities engaged in clean-up operations. Universe Maritime is extending full cooperation to the flag state, through the Bahamas Maritime Authority, in order to progress the technical investigations now under way to determine the cause of damage to Prestige, prior to the loss. This investigation will take some time to complete. Prestige was classed with ABS, one of the world's leading classification societies. It underwent an extensive Special Class Survey in May 2001, including dry-docking, at Guangzhou, China. There was also an annual survey in May of this year. The purpose of the special survey, required for all vessels every five years, was to conduct an exhaustive examination of the vessel's structure and machinery and identify areas requiring repair or renewal. Ultrasonic steel thickness measurements were taken and the average wastage of the vessel's side shell plating was found to be well within allowable limits. Some steel renewal was undertaken during the dry-docking, as is normal practice. Two experienced ABS surveyors attended the vessel throughout. On completion of the repairs the vessel was deemed to fully meet the classification requirements of ABS. In 1999, Prestige had five Port State Control inspections, of which four were in the USA. Only four minor deficiencies were found and quickly remedied (none concerned with the vessel's structure). The vessel has a record of zero detentions.

21 November 2002 – As the cost of what is fast becoming a multi-million dollar clean-up operation on the north Spanish coastline began to emerge yesterday, it is looking increasingly unlikely that the mounting costs will be met by the charterer, the Russian/Swiss oil trader Crown Resources. Already Spain's environment minister, Jaume Matas, has said that the damage caused by seven spills from crude oil tanker Prestige could reach 42 million ($41 million), however, this figure is likely to be exceeded. About 295km of coastline in Galicia have already been affected by the leaked oil. Initial compensation of &#euro;25 million is paid for by the ship owner via his insurance company, London Club, said Mans Jacobsson, director of the IOPC Funds, in a statement commenting on the Prestige spill. The IOPC Funds, said Mr Jacobsson, is likely to set up an office in Spain to handle the claims. With the claims exceeding the limit imposed on the shipowner, the top-up of 153 million is expected to come from the fund, which has already declared a total of 178 million available. In the first instance, cash goes to the public authorities, including local authorities, the coast guard and other clean-up agencies.

21 November 2002 – Poor weather today was continuing to hamper efforts to stop oil from the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige causing more environmental damage. Heavy seas and strong winds have disrupted plans by fishermen on Spain's north-west coast to form a makeshift boom with their boats to prevent oil slicks from reaching the shoreline. Larger vessels, equipped to scoop up oil out at sea, have also been forced back to port.

22 November 2002 – Fierce gales and huge waves have kept clean-up vessels in port as another oil slick from the crude oil tanker Prestige menaces Spain's northwest coast. Volunteers and fishermen with shovels joined the painstaking battle to remove the stinking sludge washed ashore. Four specialist pollution-control ships from Germany, France, Norway and Britain were on their way to the disaster scene but strong winds and 6m high waves forced three other ships already in the area to stay in dock. The Spanish government has put a price of at least 42 million (£926.6 million) on the clean-up from the disaster. Local residents in Spain's northwest Galicia region criticized a lack of resources and organisation in tackling the disaster, which has already tainted some 300km of scenic coast and threatens the area's economic lifeblood of fishing. A tanker expert said oil in the wreck of Prestige could be as thick as chewing gum due to pressures on the seabed and was unlikely to cause new catastrophic slicks soon. "In our experience, if a ship is going to break up it will do so on the way down," Ian White, managing director of the London-based International Tanker Owners' Pollution Federation (ITOPF), told Reuters. "Once they're on the bottom they tend to be fairly stable, especially with oil like this which is very viscous," he said. The cold of the water and crushing pressures 3.6km down on the seabed where Prestige was, meant the oil "will stay semi-solid, with the consistency of chewing gum at the least", he said. Spain's Development Ministry, which handles maritime affairs, said in a statement an oil slick close to where Prestige sank had remained the same size, suggesting the vessel was not leaking oil from the seabed below.

22 November 2002 – Spain plans to send an unmanned submarine to check the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige for leakage, the government said today. The French Environment Ministry has agreed to lend Spain a small robot submarine owned by a maritime research organisation called IFREMER, Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's office said. An aide to Rajoy said the sub was being brought to Spain aboard a ship but it was not clear when it would arrive or go down to examine the Prestige because of bad weather. The new home of the Prestige is a frigid, pitch-black grave under two miles of water, and at those depths its cargo of fuel oil turns solid. But daunting as it sounds, the oil could be extracted, said SMIT Salvage. All you need are robotic submarines, pipes and cables that can withstand pressure 350 times Earth's atmosphere, an electric rod to heat tons of oil, and lots of time and money, said Jan Ter Haar, senior salvage master for the company. Ter Haar said he doubts anyone will actually want to recover the 18.5m gallons of fuel oil that sank with the vessel. The wreck now lies at a depth of 11,550ft. In cases of maritime environmental disasters, he said, governments and citizens tend to make a big fuss at first, then it all eventually dies down. Also, the Prestige is so far out at sea, and so deep, that it is easier to ignore. Sucking out the oil would be immensely challenging, he said, but it could be done. "It is feasible, yes, of course," he said. "The only thing is, who is going to pay for it?" Going down to pump out the Prestige's oil would start with a reconnaissance mission by camera-equipped robot subs about 6ft long, Ter Haar said. They would search out the oil tanks and attach beeping transponders so they could be easily located on future runs. The robots would resurface, be fitted with drills, then go back down to poke holes in the tanks, one in the top and one in the bottom. The top one would be for the oil to come out, and the bottom would let in sea water to displace it, he said. He said the oil would be so hard that crews would need to heat it with a 3ft electric rod to liquefy it, or pump down lighter oil or diesel through a pipe and mix it with the gooey fuel oil so it could be sucked back to the surface through two miles of ocean. The pipes might even have to be heated. All the while, the surface vessel directing the operation would have propellers on all sides that fire and pause on instructions from a computer linked to a navigational satellite. That would keep the vessel precisely above the shipwreck, according to Ter Haar.

23 November 2002 – Universe Maritime, managers of crude oil tanker Prestige, welcome the decision of the Spanish authorities not to press charges against chief officer Ireneo Maloto and chief engineer Nikolaos Argyropoulos. The company continues to press the Spanish authorities for access to the master, Apostolos Mangouras. While some details of the key events during the last voyage of Prestige remain unclear, not least due to the company's difficulty in obtaining access to the master, the following provides an overview of the sequence of events: Prestige, prior to the voyage, was engaged in oil storage at St Petersburg for a period of four months. She was inspected by the Russian authorities on 28 October 2002, and no deficiencies were found. The vessel left St Petersburg with a part-cargo on 30 October and arrived shortly afterwards at Ventspils. She loaded the remainder of the cargo at Ventspils, leaving the port on 5 November and arriving at Kerteminde, Denmark, on 7 November, to take on fuel for her voyage to Singapore. She left Kerteminde the same day. During 13 November, while off the Spanish coast, Prestige encountered increasingly severe weather. The ship was rolling heavily, with winds of storm force 10 and seas of up to 10m breaking over the main deck. At around 1500 hours, an impact was felt and the vessel rapidly developed a list. The alarm was sounded and the crew mustered to their emergency stations. The vessel rapidly developed a 30ú list. Radio contact was made with Finisterre, advising of the emergency situation and requesting assistance. Finisterre responded by advising shipping in the area and dispatching a helicopter. Meanwhile, the crew responded by taking measures to correct the list. The helicopter arrived on scene at 1700 hours, taking off 24 crew members. The master, chief officer and chief engineer elected to stay on board, to continue work to improve the vessel's condition and work with tugs on their way to assist. Tugs arrived during the evening and Lloyd's Open Form was agreed with salvors at around 1900 hours. At this stage the vessel was some 25 miles off the coast. Unable to gain safe access to the vessel's emergency towing arrangements at the stern, due to the deteriorating weather conditions and the ship's list, the three officers made their way forward. They succeeded in doing this, despite the heavy seas breaking over the deck. Seven attempts were then made to connect up, but the severe seas resulted in the lines parting on each occasion. The master then requested more assistance from the shore. The three men worked throughout the night and morning. Eventually, successful connections to tugs were made, with the assistance of additional personnel. The first group arrived on the vessel at 0600 hours, followed by a second group at 0800 hours. More members of the crew of Prestige also rejoined the ship at 1200 hours. Two tugs then began to tow Prestige away from the coast. At that point, the damage to the vessel had resulted in the estimated loss of some 3,000 tonnes of oil. A representative of the Spanish authorities requested that the engines be restarted. The master expressed concerns over the additional stresses imposed on the vessel with the engines running. He proposed that the vessel be granted a place of refuge. Acting under the instructions of the Spanish authorities, the engines of Prestige were restarted and the vessel was towed to a requested position some 70 miles off the coast. Subsequently, the hostile weather led to the progressive deterioration of the vessel's condition. When a salvage team reached the vessel by helicopter, the engines were stopped, to reduce stresses on the ship. The master stayed on board the vessel until 1700, 15 November, when the salvage master decided that all personnel should leave the vessel.

24 November 2002 – Authorities in northwest Spain used a break in the weather yesterday to extend clean-up operations on the more than 100 beaches blackened by oil spilled from sunken crude oil tanker Prestige. Hundreds of rubber-clad volunteers wearing masks picked up buckets and shovels to clear sand of the thick, toxic sludge that has washed ashore from the Prestige. "The weather's been that bad that it's been remobilising the oil across the shoreline," said David Oland, a co-ordinator from a British company Oil Spill Response. He was directing 80 students bussed in from nearby Santiago and Corunna universities to clear contaminated sand on the beach in the town of Seiruga. Even though bulldozers stood ready, Oland said most of the work had to be carried out by hand to minimise contamination and damage. Similar scenes were taking place along the 400km of affected coastline, with the volunteers taking over in some cases from soldiers, who were taking a weekend break. Spain's deputy prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said during a visit to the region yesterday that 900 tons of oil have been trucked away since the "black tide", as locals call it, started. A total of 450 people were involved in the clean-up effort, he said. The deposited oil came from the first slick released by Prestige as it was towed out to sea after getting into trouble in storms last week. Authorities in Spain, neighbouring Portugal and France fear that at least two other slicks of at least 11,000 tons of oil that have been spotted just off the Galician shore may also reach land, further savaging the region's rich wildlife and marine-based economy. Winds and currents have so far kept them at sea but forecasters have been unable to predict what course they will take. A French research submarine was also on its way to where the broken tanker is lying on the seabed, at a depth of 3,500m. The three-man submarine will be used to see whether the 60,000 tons of fuel oil remaining in the tanker's opened belly is leaking to the surface. Spanish officials say they believed the oil had solidified because of the near-freezing temperature and pressure at that depth under water, and that it no longer posed a threat. But environmentalists, including Greenpeace, accuse the government of deliberately under-reporting the amount of oil floating offshore. Yesterday, the international lobby group placed 15 bucketfuls of fuel oil in front of government offices in Corunna with a sign saying "Oil kills" as a protest against what they called the "passivity" of authorities in the face of the catastrophe. The organisation was notably angered by local authorities' refusal to provide containers for storing the fuel oil recovered from the Barranan beach. Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio said both Spain and Portugal will call on the European Union at a summit next month to move shipping lanes farther away from their coastlines. She also said Madrid and Lisbon would look at putting into place "a rapid alert system" for maritime accidents.

25 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige could have been holed by one of 200 logs lost by another vessel in the vicinity of the ill-fated tanker just hours before its Greek master issued a distress call. Spanish maritime authorities issued a warning to mariners about the 17m logs three hours before the Prestige radioed for help. Officials in Spain warn of the dangers of speculation but cannot deny that the latest developments add credence to early statements by crew members of a loud bang at sea. Universe Maritime, the Greek operator of the Prestige, said at the weekend (23-24 November) that "an impact" was felt just before the vessel started taking on water and developed a 30ú list. Stephen Askins, spokesman for Universe Maritime, said the company was aware of reports about logs and had also heard of containers washed off a vessel three days earlier. The prospect of rogue logs being responsible for the sinking of the vessel, however, was rejected by at least one shipping expert over the weekend. "Even if a log was made out of solid mahogany, it would not have caused the type of violent shudder reported by the crew. A breaking wave would," said Rod Rainey, WS Atkins head of technology, floating structures. Based on linear wave theory, Mr Rainey said: "There is conclusive evidence that a breaking wave will punch a hole in steel. You don't need an especially high wave to do impact damage but it must be breaking, and it must be timed just right. In the case of the Prestige, it must be exactly beam-on, to catch her amidships." For large vessels, like tankers and bulkers, the risk was of impact damage to hull plating, he said. Speculation on the cause of the casualty comes amid fears that more fuel oil is leaking from the wreck of the tanker. Portugal's hydrographic institute said on Friday that it had detected new slicks in the area, small in size but high in density, suggesting they may have risen from the seabed. "These are new and occurred after the ship sank," the institute's director, Augusto Ezequiel, said. Attention is now focused on clean-up operations along 300km of affected coastline. Some 900 tonnes of fuel oil caused by the first oil slicks had been collected from the beaches by Saturday. Officials estimate that the tanker lost 10,000 tonnes of its 77,000 tonnes cargo before it sank. Independent experts put that figure at 20,000 tonnes.

25 November 2002 – Contact with a wayward container caused the problems on board crude oil tanker Prestige which led it to sink off the Spanish coast, the master has been quoted as saying. Apostolus Mangouras said his ship had smashed into a container floating in a busy shipping lane. The collision holed the tanker's starboard side, he told La Voz de Galicia newspaper. After "a very loud sound" at the moment of impact, Prestige began to list badly and took on water, forcing him to fill the port ballast tanks to stabilise the tanker, he said. The Greek master, who has been in Spanish custody since the vessel sank last week, denied allegations that he had refused to cooperate with Spanish authorities by directing the tanker towards the coast. Instead, he said, he "risked his life" to help a tug take the tanker out to sea. Mangouras also confirmed that his final destination was Singapore, but contradicted Spain's claim that he intended to call into Gibraltar. He had orders to head towards the colony "without planning to stop there", the newspaper quoted him as saying.

25 November 2002 – Anti-pollution vessels have begun to vacuum some of the oil from the crude oil tanker Prestige, which has sunk off the Spanish coast. Storms that have lashed the northwestern coast for several days have abated. However, a precautionary ban on fishing has been extended to cover around 310 miles of affected coastline. "Three ships from Spain, The Netherlands and France are currently working about 90 nautical miles off Cape Finisterre where the slick has broken up into smaller fragments," said Antonio Carro Morano, spokesman for the Interior Ministry in the city of A Coruna. Vessels from Germany, Britain, Belgium and The Netherlands are due to join the clean-up effort this week to collect the oil that has washed up on the shores of the northwestern region of Galicia for a week, causing grave environmental damage and crippling the fishing industry which is vital to the region's economy. Strong winds from the southwest have been pushing the slick northwest, closer to the Spanish coast and towards France, forcing the regional government to extend a fishing and shellfishing ban from Ribeira to Cerdeira. Some 332,000 gallons of fuel oil have so far been picked up from Spanish beaches, out of the 2.9 million gallons the government estimates leaked from the tanker. Environmental organisations claim it spilled twice that much. Spain has asked France for a small submarine to examine the wrecked tanker for any signs it is still leaking oil. The country is also suing the ship's owner, the Liberia-registered Mare Shipping Inc., as well as its insurance company and the vessel's captain, who has been jailed.

26 November 2002 – Storms abated yesterday along the northwestern Spanish coast, allowing anti-pollution ships to vacuum some of the millions of gallons of oil spilled by sunken crude oil tanker Prestige. A government statement said French anti-pollution vessel Ailette, had sucked 350 tons of oil from the sea since it began work Sunday. Ailette and two other ships are working on the main slick located more than 100km off the coast. Four more anti-pollution ships from Belgium, Britain, Germany, and The Netherlands were due to join the clean-up effort later this week. The statement said the some 900 workers and volunteers had shovelled up another 1,470 tons of oil waste from 141 beaches affected. Prestige was towed out to sea and sank after breaking. Portuguese authorities insisted yesterday that Prestige was still leaking small amounts of fuel oil. Spain disputes the claim, saying its experts believe the oil inside the ship probably solidified on the cold Atlantic floor. "In the area where the ship sank there are still some traces of pollution which suggests that, though the quantities are quite small, there is some small leakage," said Portuguese Navy official Augusto Ezequiel, spokesman for the country's crisis committee. Based on observations from a Portuguese patrol plane which flew over the region where the tanker sank, Ezequiel said there was one main slick measuring 15kms by 5kms some 110km west of Finisterre. Two smaller ones measuring about 200m by 300m were about 250kms from land. He predicted the slicks would continue to head northeast over the next 48 hours. Spanish fishery workers said small traces of oil had been spotted some 40km off the coast of the northern region of Asturias, indicating some of the slick had been pushed eastward around Spain's north-western corner.

27 November 2002 – The flag state probe into the accident involving crude oil tanker Prestige will focus on steel repairs, the Bahamas said yesterday as it identified the master as ordering the tanker's righting after it began listing off Spain. The Bahamas Maritime Authority said repairs to Prestige, carried out in China in May 2001, will be of "particular interest" in their investigation of the events leading to the tanker's sinking last week. The effects of new steelwork being connected to the old structure will be assessed and a possible subject for an in-depth investigation into the stresses introduced into the hull by the repairs and the question of metal fatigue induced by the 26 years of the vessel's operations. The Bahamian investigators appeared to suggest that it was the master who ordered counter-flooding of the port-side ballast spaces after the vessel had experienced a sudden vibration and heeled over 25ú to starboard. The vessel's flag said Prestige was in "sound condition", with the earlier special survey and subsequent annual survey in May 2002 in Dubai indicating no statutory deficiencies and no outstanding class recommendations. The flag state also rejects the suggestions that the lack of port state inspections, particularly in Europe, are of any significance: "It is unlikely that any defects in the internal structure of the vessel would have been found by PSC inspectors. More port state inspections would not necessarily have discovered any deficiencies," it said.

27 November 2002 – France and Spain have agreed to impose tougher rules on ships carrying dangerous cargoes, after the sinking of crude oil tanker Prestige. Leaders of the two countries, meeting for a summit in Spain yesterday, agreed to start inspecting vessels deemed dangerous, and if appropriate, to force them out of the 320km economic exclusion zone around their coastlines. "We have decided that, as of tomorrow, all the vessels of a dubious character will be liable to be inspected and, if need be, excluded from our 200-mile zones," said French President Jacques Chirac yesterday. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar confirmed at a press conference that the two countries had agreed to push ahead with the measures without waiting for the rest of the European Union to endorse the plan.

27 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige: Clean-up efforts continued today. Meanwhile vessel's captain told a Spanish judge that as soon as the ship's hull cracked on 13 November, he knew oil was spilling and it could lead to a major disaster, a newspaper said today. Skipper Apostolos Mangouras said he heard a noise so loud it was like an explosion, and that soon the ship was listing 25ú or 30ú. "The crew was very frightened," Mangouras said, according to El Pais, which said it obtained a transcript of his testimony before the judge. Mangouras said that right after he learned the ship's hull had split open he launched a distress call, left the bridge and went down to the deck. He said oil was gushing into the sea from ruptured tanks. He said he ordered an empty ballast tank to be filled to try to right the ship. "Everything I did was aimed at correcting the ship's list and avoiding pollution," the captain was quoted as saying. Mangouras is jailed on bail of e3 million ($US3 million), and accused of disobeying authorities and harming the environment. Authorities alleged he refused for hours to let rescue crews secure cables to his stricken ship as it drifted close to shore.

28 November 2002 – Rough seas are preventing anti-pollution boats from tackling a huge slick in the Atlantic about 55 nautical miles off the Spanish coast. The slick bears more oil than all of that which has previously tarred Spain's northwest coast since the crude oil tanker Prestige's hull cracked two weeks ago. The government declined to estimate its size or weight, but both of Spain's two main newspapers estimated it at 2.4 million gallons. That would be about 50 per cent more than all the oil that has washed ashore since the vessel's hull ruptured on 13 November. Meteorologists and oceanographers quoted in El Pais said the weather forecast for the next few days made it inevitable that the slick spewed when the Prestige sank would hit the coast, perhaps as early as this weekend. Two oil-skimming vessels from France and The Netherlands have managed to suction 533,000 gallons of oil from the huge slick now approaching Spain, but high waves have kept them in port. Three similar vessels on loan from other European countries have yet to go out at sea at all.

6 December 2002 - Fuel oil has leaked from the bow section of the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige, the Spanish government has admitted. Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said a team aboard a French mini-submarine sent down to examine the wreckage had seen four streams of semi-solidified fuel oil emerging from the broken hull. It is the first time that the Spanish government has said that oil is leaking from the vessel, which split in two and sank 19 November some 270km off the Galician coast. The fuel, seeping through cracks in the bow section, looked like strips of modelling clay and were moving upwards towards the surface, Rajoy told a news conference. Until today, the Spanish government had consistently denied Portuguese and French reports that oil was escaping from the ageing vessel, which sank with around 60,000 tonnes of toxic, heavy fuel aboard. Rajoy insisted that despite the seepage, no new oil slick had been seen in recent days in the vicinity of the wreck, which now lies some 3.5km under water. Rajoy said only the bow section of the Prestige had been observed during the Nautile mini-submarine's week-long inspection of the 26-year-old single-hulled vessel. The bow was deformed, with part of its metal structure bent inwards, he said, adding that technical experts were studying the "significance" of its leaking cracks. He did not say how much of the Prestige's pollutant cargo was in the bow section or whether the leaks were continuing. Between 10,000 and 20,000 tonnes of fuel oil has so far leaked from the Prestige, which was carrying some 77,000 tonnes of the substance when it ran into trouble on 13 November, six days before it sank.

7 December 2002 – Spain has pledged to boost financial aid to coastal areas devastated by the wreck of crude oil tanker Prestige as it seeks to silence critics over the handling of its worst environmental crisis. Announcing extra steps to counter the pollution, Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy acknowledged that a further spread of oil to the coast could not be ruled out. The government will mobilise more soldiers to help clean up as well as providing further financial aid to an extended list of those affected by the 17,000 tonne oil spill. Madrid will also make more information available to the public and improve the organisation of its disaster-handling methods, as well as pressing the European Union for aid. The government is studying the possibility of bringing in more ships capable of sucking up oil from the sea. So far there are 21 vessels, including nine Spanish ships working. The ministers' meeting today at which the measures were decided was the first Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar himself has chaired to tackle the Prestige crisis.

9 December 2002 – Hundreds more soldiers have joined thousands of volunteers battling oil slicks across northwestern Spain, as the government struggled to gain the upper hand over a disastrous spill that is wrecking the local economy. Residents, angered by Madrid's slow response to the sinking of crude oil tanker Prestige nearly three weeks ago, got some reprieve yesterday with the arrival of 700 extra soldiers on two ships in the port of Vigo. Volunteers have been using the three-day holiday weekend to remove the viscous black muck that has been washing ashore on beaches and rocks since the tanker broke up. Five hundred more soldiers were set today to reinforce clean-up efforts along the coastline, where about 1,000 troops have been scooping up sludge into nets and buckets alongside up to 10,000 others. But an emergency cabinet meeting held on Saturday has not improved the standing of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who has been roundly criticized for not visiting the polluted coast.

10 December 2002 – A French submarine has discovered three more cracks in the stern section of the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige that could leak yet more fuel oil onto the Spanish coastline, Spain said yesterday. The crew of the submarine Nautile, hired by Spain to probe the wreckage on the ocean floor, has found fuel oil leaking from the separate bow and stern sections. Nautile previously discovered two cracks in the stern and at least four in the bow where the two pieces came to rest. "Three more cracks have appeared in the stern," Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told a news conference. "Now we have to evaluate how much fuel could be escaping into the sea and if there is a chance of it solidifying." A team of scientists had been formed to study the data. Rajoy previously said the government was hoping the fuel oil would congeal at near freezing seabed temperatures, only to discover that the thick sludge was escaping. Portugal yesterday hired a Norwegian rig to suck up spills from Prestige, joining a fleet of vessels hired by Spain to scoop the slicks from the sea.

10 December 2002 – Crude oil tanker Prestige could go on leaking fuel oil until 2006, causing long-lasting damage to the devastated coastline of northwest Spain, experts say. Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said today that the sunken tanker was spewing up to 125 tonnes of fuel oil a day into the Atlantic Ocean from nine cracks in its bow section and five in the stern. "It would take between a minimum of five and a maximum of 39 months to empty the tanks," Emilio Lora-Tamayo, the head of a scientific committee set up to analyse data on the tanker provided by the French mini-submarine Nautile, told reporters. "When it comes to the flow, estimates are that there are some 80 tonnes per day leaking from the bow and around 45 tonnes from the stern. We are talking about 120 to 125 tonnes per day," Rajoy told reporters in Corunna. Rajoy said the oil is taking about a day to rise from the wreck to the ocean surface. The speed at which the oil leaks out depends on the seabed temperature – the colder the water, the slower the flow. Experts see two ways to stem the flow of oil – sealing the cracks using a robot or pumping the oil out to a platform on the surface as if it were an oil field – but both are technically highly challenging. Rajoy said experts did not foresee any further cracking of the shattered hull. The submarine Nautile has made several voyages to Prestige and will return tomorrow for a further examination.

11 December 20002 – There are a number of seemingly insurmountable difficulties associated with salvaging the wrecked crude oil tanker Prestige, which is lying on the Atlantic seabed off the northwest coast of Spain. The first and most obvious complication is that the wreck – which split into two pieces – is now lying 3,500m deep. The last operation to reach anywhere near that level of complexity was the salvage operation on Russia's Kursk submarine which only lay at a depth of 100m, Lars Walder, a spokesman for Dutch shipping and salvage firm SMIT International, said. There are three options for the salvage operation – each presenting unique difficulties: pump the oil; bury the wreck in a concrete sarcophagus; seal the breaches in the hull. Mr Walder says the conditions at the wreck site are very difficult, starting with constant waves 5m high. "There are currents, there is the pressure and the problems with pumping the oil to the surface" over such a long distance, he said. "It has never been done before," he said. "The deeper it is, the more difficult." SMIT is working on a plan to salvage oil from the wreck. The firm has yet to release full details of its plan, but reports say SMIT is looking at ways of sealing the leaks and pumping the remaining cargo to the surface. The operation would take two to three months to prepare and another several months to carry out, Mr Walder said. Trying to pump the oil from such a depth would prove technically difficult, if not impossible, some experts say. "At 120m, you can use divers but that's impossible at 3,500m," said Bruno Faure, from the French company involved in the Erika tanker salvage in 1999. Instead of divers, remote-controlled submersible craft would have to be used, but even that poses problems. "The electronic instruments are not built to withstand water pressure at 3,500m," Mr Faure said. The oil would be pumped out to a platform on the surface as if it were an oil field. Another suggestion is to bury the wreck in a concrete sarcophagus – the method used to seal the Chernobyl nuclear power station. "It would be very difficult and probably very costly," Mr Faure said. Or an attempt could be made to mend the hull by sealing the cracks using a robot. Other experts were more upbeat about the chances that some sort of salvage operation might work. "Nothing is impossible," said Norwegian expert Serge Ellana of Stolt Offshore. "A few years ago it was considered impossible to work 2,500m down." Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar fought off criticism that the decision to tow the vessel out to sea made salvage efforts more difficult. No port would have agreed to accept a vessel that was threatening to spill millions of gallons of fuel, he says. A Spanish scientific commission has been set up to investigate the situation.

14 December 2002 – A French submarine placed a metal plate over one of 14 cracks in sunken crude oil tanker Prestige off the coast of Spain, hoping to partially stem an estimated 33,000 gallons of oil leaking daily, the government said yesterday. "So far it is working," Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told a news conference after a weekly cabinet meeting. "But naturally we will have to keep studying to determine if this is a good procedure or not." Spain admitted last week that the Prestige is spewing large amounts of oil. The government has stepped back from a theory that the oil would solidify because the tanker is two miles down in frigid water. The vessel is estimated to have spilled just under a quarter of its cargo of 20.5 million gallons of fuel oil. Yesterday, the cabinet extended emergency aid to fishermen knocked out of work in Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque country. These are northern regions that suffered most after oil cleared Spain's northwest tip and flowed east. The government said yesterday that 3 million gallons of fuel have been removed from the sea.

16 December 2002 – Waves as high as 3m forced Portugal's government to interrupt an operation by an anti-pollution vessel to clear an oil slick from the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige. The Norwegian vessel, hired by the Portuguese government, collected 80,000 litres of oil before it had to stop work yesterday, cited Tavares Meyrelles, chief of Portugal's northern maritime department, as saying. Three oil slicks have been sighted off Portugal's northern coast, one as close as 10km from the port of Caminha, AFP said.

18 December 2002 – Spain hopes to plug ten more of the 13 holes spilling fuel from the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige, a senior official said yesterday. Appearing before a parliamentary committee, Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the government was awaiting a report on the effectiveness of a metal sheet placed over one of the leaking holes last week by French research submarine Nautile. He said that if the plug proved to be holding Nautile would try to repeat the operation on another ten holes. The government says Prestige continues to leak about 125 tonnes per day. Rajoy did not mention what the authorities intended to do about the other three holes. Yesterday, some 5,000 soldiers and volunteers continued for the 34th day running to shovel up the toxic waste from beaches and rocks. At sea, a half-dozen anti-pollution boats worked off the shellfish-rich, lower river estuaries just north of Portugal, trying to vacuum up the oil and prevent it from entering the inlets. The ships have so far recuperated 13,000 tonnes of fuel, Rajoy said. The authorities have placed some 35,000m of plastic barriers in the sea to try to stop the oil reaching the coastline. Fishers who have been going out in small boats with buckets and containers to rake the oil from the sea were unable to leave port yesterday because of the bad weather. Francisco Iglesias, the head of one fishing association in the port of Grove, began a hunger strike to demand more equipment to fight the slicks. News reports said other fishers were threatening to join the protest. The disaster has triggered a major political row in Spain. In his second appearance before the committee in Madrid, Rajoy had to withstand a fresh barrage of allegations of gross mishandling of the crisis. Opposition parties highlighted in particular the government's decision to push the stricken tanker out to sea and then order it to head southwards against the currents. "We want an investigative commission so that such serious errors are not repeated in the future," leading opposition Socialist party spokesman Jesus Caldera said. He added that the government had committed "grave errors before, during, and after the sinking of Prestige". Rajoy dismissed the criticism, claiming the government had taken the best decisions possible. On Monday, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said he fully accepted responsibility for the decision to order the tanker out to sea instead of in to port where the oil could have been suctioned off, as many environmentalists and experts claim would have been better.

22 December 2002 – A vast oil slick from the sunken crude oil tanker Prestige, sighted off the northwestern tip of Spain, threatened to sweep into the Bay of Biscay over the weekend if strong south and southwesterly winds prevailed. The slick of fuel oil, swelled with sea water and covering an area of 800km² was sighted on Friday (20 December) just 23km off Cape Finisterre. Oil continues to spew out of its shattered hulk into the sea, at a rate of an estimated 125 tonnes per day. Spanish media yesterday quoted a scientific commission as saying that ongoing attempts to plug gashes in the wreck of the Prestige would provide only a short-term solution.

22 December 2002 – A research submarine operating off the northwest Spanish coast has managed to plug five holes in the sunken and leaking crude oil tanker Prestige. But Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also said the French sub Nautile had also detected new cracks. He said the cracks were small. Details of the operation were given today as winds pushed a huge slick threatening the coastline far enough from land to give 8,000 exhausted fishermen and volunteers a respite. The large slick posed a major threat to Galicia, Rajoy said. But strong winds blowing north have pushed it northwest. Rajoy said the first crack Nautile sealed last week appears to be holding. The government initially said the sub had found 14 cracks or holes through which oil was leaking. Bunging the holes will take up to 20 dives, but even after the cracks are sealed the vessel may continue to leak oil. The operation, which involves Nautile placing metal bells into the holes, is expected to last until 20 January.

25 November 2002 – Tasman Sea (Malta)

Tanker Pacific Management crude oil tanker Tasman Sea (50,003gt, built 1980) caused an oil spill "in the port of Tianjin" after it was contacted by vessel Shun Kai No. 1 at the weekend. The tanker was struck by Chinese-registered coastal vessel Shun Kai No. 1 on 23 November while transiting to the pilot pick-up point at the entry to the port of Tianjin. Tasman Sea was loaded with 81,398 tons of crude oil for UNIPEC-China International when the contact occurred. The port anchor of Shun Kai No. 1 caused a 50cm hole high above the waterline in No. 3 starboard cargo tank. According to Tanker Pacific the quantity of oil spilled was "small" with the crew taking immediate steps to transfer cargo out of the damaged tank. However the People's Daily reported that the contact produced an oil spill measuring 2.5 nautical miles in length and 1.4 nautical miles in width in the Bohai Sea. "Prompt and professional action of the officers and crew on board Tasman Sea in the moments immediately following impact has contained the extent of the oil released," said Sam Norton, spokesman for Tanker Pacific. No crew from either vessel were injured in the incident. Class society NKK confirmed the damage to Tasman Sea was "not serious" and the vessel was expected to berth late today at Tianjin to discharge its entire cargo.

25 November 2002 – Chinese vessel Shunkai No. 1 (also reported as Shun Kai No. 1) has collided with crude oil tanker Tasman Sea spreading an oil slick across a swath of the Bohai sea, state media reported today. The collision took place early Saturday about 25 miles east of Tianjin, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. No one was injured. The Tianjin Maritime Bureau sent seven vessels to clean up the spill at the accident site, the report said. Preliminary inquiries indicate Tasman Sea, which was bound for Tianjin carrying 80,000 tons of oil, was anchored off the coast when the accident took place, the report said. As a result of the collision, an oil slick 2.5 miles long and 1.4 miles across spread from the damaged tanker into the Bohai Sea, the report said. It was not immediately known how much of the oil had spilled. Shunkai No. 1, had just left the port when the accident took place. The collision "seriously damaged" the bow of the Chinese vessel causing it to take on water. However, the vessel was in no danger of sinking, the report said.

25 November 2002 – The flow of crude oil spilling from damaged crude oil tanker Tasman Sea, into the Bohai Sea off the eastern coast of north China's Tianjin City, had been brought under control by this afternoon. Last Saturday's (23 November) collision between the oil tanker and a Chinese vessel, Shunkai No. 1 left a band of crude oil 2.5 sea miles long and 1.4 sea miles wide. The oil came from the vessel's damaged third compartment which has since been repaired. Local authorities worked hard to stem the leak despite bad weather conditions involving high seas and strong wind. Helicopters were sent to inspect the state of the oil spill. The Maltese oil tanker has been allowed to dock at Tianjin port for investigation. The cause of the accident is still unclear.

28 November 2002 – Crude oil tanker Tasman Sea and vessel Shun Kai No. 1 are both mooring at Xingang port. Tasman Sea is now alongside the berth to discharge oil. Shun Kai No. 1 is standing by alongside the berth. According to attending surveyors Tasman Sea has external shell plating indented in way of the No. 3 starboard cargo tank about 2m below the weather deck line. The indentation was 50cm€€20cm in area and 20cm in depth. In the area of indentation, the shell plating was cracked, the length of the crack is about 30cm long. The inside structures could not be checked at present because there was some oil inside. The weather deck above the No. 3 starboard side cargo tank was partly buckled. The external shell plating was indented in way of the starboard side fuel oil tank and about 2m below the weather deck line. The indentation was about 1€€2m in area. The weather deck above the starboard side fuel oil tank was local deformed "itl" (? internal) area 10€€1m. The painting of the 40m² in total starboard side shell plating was partly peeled off. The stanchions between the starboard side weather deck and the starboard side lifeboat deck were all bent. Three of them were broken and one was heavily bent. The hand rails of this area were deformed. Two drain pipes of the lifeboat deck were also heavily damaged. The starboard side lifeboat deck was deformed about 10€€1m. The hand rails in this area was deformed also. The starboard side lifeboat of 36 persons was broken. The condition of the davits should be further determined with the lowering test of the lifeboat. Two life rafts of 20 persons were broken. The stanchion on the starboard side lifeboat deck was broken. The starboard side compass deck was twisted. Shun Kai No. 1: Port side shell at bow part heavily indented and broken from draft 9m up to forecastle deck bulwark, bow stem inclined to starboard, starboard shell free from apparent damage. Forecastle deck heavily buckled in areas forward to hawse pipe side structures from apparent damage or scratched from forward perpendicular vertical to front wall of bridge. The port side lifeboat embarkation deck indented and buckled, lifeboat davit from root, scratches leading apparently on the side structures from aft to forward. Port side wing bridge collapsed, port aft corner of bridge deck collapsed, radio located at port side damaged. Accommodation side wall under the bridge deck indented heavily, deck pillars broken. Port side gangway buckled, accommodation deck buckled and bulwark indented. Port side derrick control bridge collapsed and port pillars broken forwards. Up to now no repairs have been commenced for either vessel. Currently the exact quantity of spilled oil has not be ascertained. It was said that due to collision about 100 tonnes of oil had spilled out at sea. We learned from Tianjin harbour master that they had instructed various fishing vessels to assist in clean-up operation, a helicopter is seeking the oil belt and at the same time to spread dispersant. It was said that the oil belt is found to be focused at lat 38 49N, long 118 32E, about 15 miles to the shore and the oil belt was about 16 miles in length and five miles in width. An ITOPF expert has been involved to assist local Tianjin harbour master in clean-up operation.

7 December 2002 – Exxon Valdez (USA)

A federal judge has cut the damages awarded against the Exxon Corporation for the oil spill caused by tanker Exxon Valdez in 1989 by $1 billion. US District Judge Russel Holland reduced the original $5 billion punitive damages award to $4 billion. An Alaska jury in 1994 approved the original award in the Exxon Valdez spill, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the award was excessive and sent the case back to Judge Holland. Exxon says it will appeal against the new figure. "Our position is no punitive damages are really warranted in this case," said company spokesman Tom Cirigliano. Dave Oesting, lead counsel for the roughly 32,000 plaintiffs – including fishermen, communities, businesses and landowners – said he was pleased with the decision. Exxon argued that the company was effectively punished and deterred by the billions it had paid out in clean-up costs, compensation to hundreds of claimants and government fines. Mr Holland heard arguments in the case in October. Lawyers for Exxon said "a huge reduction" was required – maybe all the way down to zero, but under criteria laid out by the appeals court, no more than $40 million.