Photo: Ecuador Presidency/dpa/picture alliance / Deutsche Welle
The Ecuadorian authorities launched this Saturday (23.04.2022) a contingency plan and environmental remediation after registering a shipwreck in a sector of Santa Cruz Island , in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where an alert was activated in the event of a possible diesel spill.
The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park (PNG) reported in a communicated that the tourist boat Albatros was shipwrecked in Academia Bay, on Santa Cruz Island, in response to which “immediate actions were taken to reduce the impact of the incident on marine ecosystems”.
In the affected area “containment barriers, sausages and absorbent cloths were placed to isolate the fuel released the sunken boat” and that it is estimated could have contained about 2.000 gallons of diesel at the time of its sinking, added the source .
In addition, the PNG indicated that, upon confirming the presence of a “superficial stain of fuel at various points in the bay”, water activities were suspended at some visitor sites in Santa Cruz.
Groups of PNG rangers have led operations to the application of “biodegradable dispersant in the affected areas”, with the aim of collecting the fuel that could have been spilled into the sea, added the source.
Likewise, the PNG said that the shipowner or owner of the sunken ship, which belongs to a private company, has been “notified” about the activation of the contingency plan and the derived processes in accordance with current legal regulations.
The Ministry of the Environment, of which the PNG is a part, “will maintain permanent vigilance to overcome the situation” and will verify the “necessary cleaning and remediation actions,” the entity detailed.
Las Gal ápagos are considered a natural sanctuary for its rich biodiversity, with unique species on the planet, which earned it the declaration in 1200 as the first Natural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
ama (efe, afp, dpa)