First Satellite Images Show Lebanese Oil Spill on Syrian Coast

ATHENS, Greece, August 2, 2006 (ENS) - An "environmental catastrophe" is occurring in the eastern Mediterranean as 30,000 tons of oil spilled by the Israeli bombardment of a Lebanese power plant nearly three weeks ago spreads out unchecked over the sea, warn United Nations environmental officials. With cleanup crews ready and waiting, they are seeking an immediate end to hostilities that would permit access to the spill area.

"In addition to the humanitarian circumstances, an environmental catastrophe is threatening the Mediterranean region," said Paul Mifsud, coordinator of the UN Environment Programme's Mediterranean Action Plan, speaking from Athens. "Hostilities must cease to guarantee immediate safe access to the affected area."

Satellite imagery from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre released today shows that the oil slick has entered Syrian waters and has contaminated 10 kilometers (six miles) of coastline north of the Syrian-Lebanese border.

This satellite image of the eastern Mediterranean coast shows the extent of the spill with a straight line. August 1, 2006. (Image courtesy EC Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information)

"It is nearly three weeks since the bombing of the power plant and the initial satellite imagery unfortunately confirms that the oil spill is of a significant magnitude and spreading," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, speaking from Nairobi.

"A coordinated response must urgently be allowed to proceed, so that we can limit the immediate environmental damage as well as the longer term implications for the economy and the Lebanese people," Steiner said.

"Now it has become even more vital to take immediate action," Mifsud urged.

In a letter addressed to UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, UNEP-MAP, in Athens today, the Syrian Minister of Local Administration and Environment Helal Al-Atrash asked the agency "to send professional companies to control the spilled oil on the shoreline and territorial waters."

Oil spill on the coast of Lebanon (Photo courtesy Rabih Nassar)

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea, REMPEC, one of UNEP-MAP’s Regional Activities Centers, asked the government of Cyprus to run a spill forecast model, called MEDSLIK. Developed specifically for the eastern Mediterranean Sea, it can provide indication whether or not a part of the oil could reach other Mediterranean coastal states north of Lebanon.

The analysis was conducted by the Oceanographic Centre of Cyprus, and initial results show that 80 percent of the heavy oil remains on and off the Lebanese shoreline, while less than 20 percent has evaporated.

Following a request for support to the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection Of The Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution, REMPEC has received replies from nine entities offering assistance - Algeria, Cyprus, the European Commission, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain and Syria.

Meanwhile, REMPEC has officially placed its Mediterranean Assistance Unit (MAU) on stand-by and is preparing for the mission of a senior expert to the affected area, as soon as security clearance is received.

Lebanon has requested oil dispersants, booms, absorbents, skimmers, as well as specialized boats for clean up operations, as well as a list of specialized registered companies that could assist.

Following a request for help from the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, the European Commission's Monitoring and Information Center triggered the International Charter Space and Major Disasters in order to obtain information about the extent of the oil pollution in the coastal strip and, where possible, the size of the pollution.

Under this activation, the Commission's Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information is producing satellite analyses of the spill's extent.