Gibraltar Races to Remove Oil From Bulker

Gibraltar has an around-the-clock effort underway attempting to pump oil from the bulker that wrecked Monday night as it was departing the port. The oil leak intensified after the hull of the bulker “crumpled” yesterday afternoon causing Gibraltar to suspend port operations as it declared a “major incident,” Wednesday afternoon.

The Royal Gibraltar Police has also launched an investigation into the circumstances in which the OS 35 outbound hit the Adam LNG gas carrier that was anchored in a designated area outside the port. At mid-day on Thursday, the police released a statement announcing, “an individual was arrested and is now assisting detectives from the Crime Division, as they investigate the collision of beached cargo ship OS 35.” The police have declined to provide the identity of the individual and if it was a member of the crew, the pilot, or another person somehow involved in the incident.

OS 35 remains partially submerged with its bow resting on the seabed (GPA)

The condition of the 35,362 dwt bulker OS 35 remains overall stable after the hull ruptured on Wednesday. The Gibraltar Port Authority reported that while the hull had fractured the vessel had not yet broken in two but the crew was evacuated while salvage teams worked to contain oil leaks. The team had not started pumping the diese....