Oil Spill Assessment Aircraft Assured Safety Over Lebanon

ATHENS, Greece, August 21, 2006 (ENS) - Israeli Environment Minister Gideon Ezra has assured safe passage for United Nations helicopters seeking to determine the extent of the enormous oil spill that has fouled some 150 kilometers of Lebanese and Syrian coastline.

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 tons of oil spewed into the Mediterranean Sea after Israeli missiles struck the Jiyyah power plant south of Beirut in mid-July, but hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have made comprehensive aerial surveillance impossible until now.

On Friday, Achim Steiner, head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), wrote to Ezra, requesting assurances of safe passage for the assessment flights. Steiner says he received a reply today offering such guarantees.

"I would like to acknowledge the response by the Israeli authorities giving safe and secure passage of aerial surveillance flights,” said Steiner. "It is absolutely vital that these are swiftly undertaken to establish the quantity of oil still floating on the sea and to thus tailor the appropriate cleanup response.”

On 14 August the ceasefire called for in UN Security Council resolution 1701 came into effect, but remains fragile. Lebanese forces moved into more areas in the south of the country today as Israeli troops withdrew and the cessation of hostilities with Hezbollah continued to hold, the United Nations Interim Force, which is coordinating the operation, said in a statement.

Now that experts have the green light for visual assessments, they can confirm computer models and satellite images that differ in their estimates of how much oil remains at sea.

Oil expert with the Lebanon Ministry of Environment examines polluted shoreline north of Beirut. (Photo courtesy Lebanese Ministry of Environment (MOE))

Yet satellite images, backed by eye witness accounts from organizations like IUCN-the World Conservation Union, suggest that in reality larger amounts may still be in the sea.

On Thursday, UN agencies, Mediterranean environment ministers and oil spill experts meeting in Athens approved a US$64 million International Assistance Action Plan to clean up the spill.

The international meeting convened by UNEP and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was hosted by the Greek Mercantile Ministry.

Prepared by the Experts Working Group for Lebanon under the supervision of the UNEP-MAP’s Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea, and Lebanese Environment Minister Yacub Sarraf, the plan sets out three stages of response.

Priority short-term actions include immediate helicopter aerial surveys to determine the extent of the pollution. Other short term priority actions include recovery of mobile oil in ports, confined areas, economic or social strategic sites and heavily polluted sites - seven high priority sites have been identified by Lebanese authorities, with a further 13 sites classed as secondary priority.

Also in the short term authorities will decide on a clear approach to the transport, disposal, storage and incineration of recovered waste from the cleanup. Some of the liquid oil collected could be burned at refineries and that "lightly oiled" sediments could be recycled in road and public works construction after being neutralized with quicklime, the plan suggests.

Experts intend to test oil samples to see if they may contain persistent organic pollutants like polychlorinated biphenols, PCBs, used for electrical insulation, given that the oil originated from a power station.

In the medium term, the report suggests that tackling all polluted sites at the same time will be impossible. It proposes that a workforce of 300 people could tackle up to 30 sites simultaneously and recommends that floating oil in places like ports and harbors be tackled first.

Protection of sensitive areas that are still oil-free, such as nesting areas for birds and endangered turtles, World Heritage sites and tourist locations should be addressed in the medium term.

The plan acknowledges that time continues to have an impact on the cleanup. Oil at sea will become increasingly fragmented and difficult to collect and oil on shore will progressively emulsify, becoming more viscous and difficult to recover as it mixes in with sediments and sand.

The experts say that a range of equipment will be needed to deal with the various stages of contamination and different affected sites - from contaminated tourist and beach locations to contaminated ports and harbors.

The Lebanese authorities are currently deploying vacuum trucks and pumps at some sites. The plan points out that this kind of equipment is only suitable for mobile low viscosity oils.

Oil rings the Lebanese shoreline near the city of Tripoli. (Photo courtesy MOE)

In the long-term, experts will assess the lessons learned to improve the preparedness of the Lebanese authorities in the event of future oil spills.

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos said, "I am delighted that we have been able to agree on this action plan which now sets the stage for the wide ranging assistance the Lebanese, and to a lesser extent the Syrian, authorities so urgently need."

"I sincerely hope that the damage to the environment is contained to the current level and that other Mediterranean Sea countries do not suffer as a result of the oil spill," said Mitropoulos, "also that we can all learn a lot from this tragic incident and take these lessons forward so we are better prepared in the future."

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, "The cessation of the hostilities will create the conditions for engaging the support of the international community in a consistent and coordinated manner. It is my hope that the agreement of this common action plan will step by step take over the first response by the civil protection mechanism of the European Commission."

"The recent oil spill off the coast of Lebanon is an environmental disaster, and may affect the livelihood, health and future prospect of Lebanon and the surrounding countries. With the help of the Commission’s civil protection mechanism, member states have been able to provide co-ordinated assistance, including experts and specialized materials," said Dimas.

"The Commission also anticipates, subject to formal approval, to provide a 10 million euro complement to the 2006 financing package to Lebanon for technical assistance in the upcoming reconstruction process, with a particular emphasis on infrastructures and environment sectors," Dimas said.

President George W. Bush today pledged that the United States will increase its humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Lebanon to US$230 million to help the country recover after weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Speaking at the White House, Bush said 25,000 tons of U.S. wheat will be delivered to Lebanon in the coming weeks, and an oil spill response team is being sent to help the Lebanese government clean up the oil slick.