Preventive measures were immediately taken to avoid a scattering of diesel, said the management of the Galapagos National Park.
Article written by
Posted
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
A dive boat sank in the Galapagos archipelago, a biodiversity sanctuary off the coast of Ecuador, on Saturday April 23. A “shallow fuel slick” spread around the sinking site for reasons still unknown, local authorities said. Preventive measures were immediately taken to avoid a scattering of diesel, added the management of the Galapagos National Park on social networks.
“The park wardens have placed containment and dispersal barriers to limit possible negative impacts on the environment. The shipowner will carry out salvage actions, based on the emergency protocol”he continued.
The Ministry of the Environment estimates in a press release that the boat “contained 2,000 gallons [7 500 litres environ] of diesel at the time of the incident” on the island of Santa Cruz. He clarified that due to “the presence of a superficial fuel slick on the surface at several points in the bay, aquatic activities have been suspended at certain tourist sites”. The Galapagos Islands are classified by Unesco as a World Heritage Site for their unique fauna and flora in the world, and are part of the World Biosphere Reserve.