After some high level talks between the Russian Federation and The Irish Coastguard the Russians have finally admitted responsibility for the oil spill that took place 10 days ago south of The Fastnet Rock and Lighthouse.
The Russians claim this took place when the bilges were “inadvertently” pumped. An estimated 150,000 gallons of waste oil and lubricant classified as “light crude” was pumped into the sea causing one of the greatest pollution scares in Ireland for a decade.
The slick, currently 40 miles south of Cork harbour and travelling east is thought to disipate further over the next few days and is unlikely to present a serious threat to the southern coastline.
Rafting bird species such as guillemots and razorbills caught up in the slick while it remains at sea will almost certainly die.
The Russians are thought to be currently considering “contributing” to the estimated €250,000 costs associated with monitoring this slick in the days following the discharge.
The initial response and subsequent action taken by authorities is considered to be poor as weather conditions during last week would have made skimming some of the oil from the surface of the sea a possibility provided action was taken sufficiently quickly.
ENDS
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