- 1000s of oil tar washed ashore in Israel as an oil spill rocked the Mediterranean sea.
- The military has been deployed for cleanup and people warned not to come near the shore.
- Already marine life turtles and whales are being affected.
- The oil spill came from a ship lying within 50kms of the shore on February 11.
- The oil spill remained undetected as winter storms affected the area.
- 9 ships were in the area during that time.
- Israel could demand 10 million shekels from the ship insurance company.
Israel waters have turned black due to tar from oil spills allegedly from a ship and now the authorities are on a rampage to find the perpetrators, reports the Guardian.
Israeli officials revealed that the thick black tar that has polluted the Mediterranean sea will take months and years to clean up. So they are trying to locate the ship that caused it and press charges against them.
Environmental Disaster, Says Activists
On Sunday itself many environmentalists and volunteers tried to clean the beaches but the clumps of sticky black tar refuse to give up. The military has already deployed a team of 1000s of soldiers for the clean up. Residents and normal citizens have been warned to stay away from the beaches and the waters until further instructions. “Exposure to tar can be harmful to public health”, the environment ministry warned.
Already environmental groups are agitating over the oil spill, terming it a disaster and posting pictures of tar-covered turtles and other coastal wildlife.
A 55ft long whale had washed up on a southern Israeli beach last week and the authorities found oil-based material in the autopsy report. Further tests are needed to correlate this with the oil spill.
Winter Storm Made It Hard To Detect
The oil has happened sometime last week when the country was swept by winter storms that made it difficult to detect the tar at sea.
At present European and Israeli agencies are looking for a ship that passed through the area on February 11 at about 50 kilometers from the shore. They are taking the help of satellite images and wave movements modeling technology to locate the ship.
Efforts To Locate the Ship
There were 9 ships that are under suspicion said Israel’s Environment Minister Gila Gamliel who believes that there was a reasonable chance that the ship will be located. “We are making every effort to find those responsible for the disaster and we will bring to the government’s approval tomorrow a proposal for resolutions to rehabilitate the environment”, Gamliel tweeted. The ministry estimates 1000 tonnes of tar on the shore making the clean-up project to be a million-dollar project. Israel is likely to take legal action which includes suing the ship insurance companies and asking for compensation of 10 million shekels
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Source: The Guardian
