A tourist boat carrying about 7,500 liters of diesel sank on Saturday in the fragile Galapagos Islands, in the Pacific of Ecuador and Natural heritage of Humanityleaving a “superficial stain of fuel“, reported authorities.
The ship “Albatros” contained an estimated “2,000 gallons of diesel (7,570 liters) at the time of the event” on Santa Cruz Island and “there is a surface stain of fuel at various points in the bay” Academy, said the Ministry of the Environment in a statement.
Likewise, he indicated that they were taken “immediately to reduce impacts damage to marine ecosystems” and that “aquatic activities in some visitor sites” were suspended.
He added that “in the first area of the incident, containment barrierssausages and absorbent cloths to isolate the fuel released by the sunken ship” in front of Puerto Ayora, capital of Santa Cruz and where the headquarters and breeding centers for animals in captivity of the Galapagos National Park (PNG) are located.
The state oil company Petroecuador initially stated that the private property He was shipwrecked at dawn on Saturday in “Puerto Ayora, transporting diesel,” said the AFP agency.
The incident left no casualties. “The four crew members of this boat are with life“said the oil company.
The PNG later noted that the ship was used for diving practice and that around the sinking site “containment and dispersant barriers were placed to limit possible negative impacts to the environment.”
No authority reported on the length or capacity of the ship, nor on the effects on the fauna.
“The shipowner will carry out refloating actions (of the vessel), based on the contingency protocol,” according to the PNG.
The body’s deputy director, Jenifer Suárez, said that “the boat is sunk” and that “the containment barriers have been placed and the dispersant application in different places of the bay” Academy.
from a boat, park rangers recovered blackened absorbent cloths that were thrown on a fuel stain, according to images released by the PNG, which suspended tourist activities in the surroundings of Puerto Ayora.
“I know temporarily close water activities, tourism in Punta Estrada, as well as access to visitor sites Playa de los Alemanes, Las Grietas, Playa de la Estación and Ratonera on Santa Cruz Island, due to the sinking of a boat in the bay,” he said.
