The Minister for the Port Vijay Daryanani chaired a meeting of the Recovery Coordination Group on Friday.

The Captain of the Port has advised that the situation is improved today, with less visible oil emanating from the vessel and less visible sheening escaping the boom.

DIVE TEAM ASSESSMENTS

Dive Teams have been assessing the OS 35 in order to determine the source of oil seepage and mitigate this as far as possible.

Divers have identified the point at which the oil is escaping the vessel and making its way to the surface.

The oil that is escaping the vessel is likely to be unpumpable residues that remained in Tank 1 or the surrounding pipework.

An operation to patch the gap at deck level will begin tomorrow. This will allow Dive Teams to further investigate the situation, determine the exact source of the oil and discuss additional measures that may be necessary.

SEVEN SISTERS

The Department of Environment, together with teams from GJBS and volunteers from the ESG and the Nautilus Project, will begin a cleanup operation at Seven Sisters tomorrow.

The remainder of Gibraltar’s coastline remains largely oil-free, and cleanup teams are effectively managing the limited amount of tar balls that are discovered during the daily shoreline assessments.

GIBRALTAR PORT RESUMES OPERATIONS

The Gibraltar Port resumed normal operations at 3:00pm today. Whilst some assets remain ring- fenced for the OS 35 response, the Port is in a position to allow normal operations, including bunkering, to go ahead.

This position will be kept under constant review and may change as necessary.