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Madagascar slick clean-up under way
Nairobi (AFP) Sept 5, 2009 Clean-up operations following the grounding of a Turkish-flagged vessel off the coast of Madagascar have started and damage to the environment should be limited, the ship's operator said in a statement received by AFP Saturday. The MV Gulser Ana grounded off Faux Cap, on the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean island, on August 26, damaging its bunker tanks and releasing fuel oil in the sea, the Mardeniz Denizcilik company said. "The owners, ... pollution clean-up experts, are carrying out beach cleaning operations to remove any bunker oil residues arising from the initial escape," the statement said. "Anti-pollution experts are working with local residents who are receiving training, equipment and payment in order to assist with this task and we would like to thank them for their hard work and efforts," it added. The operator said the ship's cargo of 40,000 tonnes rock phosphate -- a kind of fertiliser -- did not pose a threat to the environment. "Sea currents are carrying any fuel oil to the east and away from the Cap Sainte Marie Marine Reserve and the coral reef, which should avoid any long or medium term environmental damage to the area," it said. "Over-flights of the area have not shown any evidence of whales or other sea mammals in the area having been in any way affected," it added. The operator added that the ship's 23 crew had been rescued by the Madagascar coast guard and were ashore. The island relies heavily on tourism and is home to two percent of the globe's total biodiversity. The majority of its animal and plant species are found nowhere else on Earth. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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