The following articles are reproduced by permission of the Penguin News; our weekly newspaper here in the Falkland Islands. Note the oiled penguin used in this issue's banner.
Ocean 8 is lost
THE Ocean 8, a Korean trawler that burned in Berkeley Sound for more than two weeks has sunk.
Where was FIG action on oil spill asks Falklands Conservation?
GOVERNMENT has taken little affirmative action to deal with “...one of the worst oil disasters to hit the Falkland Islands,” say Falklands Conservation. The Korean trawler, Ocean 8, caught fire and later sank in Berkeley Sound on May 19 carrying with it a reported 137 MT of gas oil and heavy fuel oil. The majority of oil on board is fuel oil, a heavy and sticky persistent oil. A Falklands Conservation representative said this is, “...a monumental disaster for the environment of Berkeley Sound, and incredibly still continues to leak into the area.”
Environmental assessments report heavy black oil present along the coastline, with the wind, currents and tidal movements having carried the oil to the southern coast of Berkeley Sound, stretching from Strike-off Point on Long Island Farm along the coast towards the Murrell Farm. A similar picture is expected on the northern shore from Diamond Cove.
“Thick black oil is evident, intoxicating the kelp and devastating marine life associated with it. The high-tide mark along the sandy beaches and rocky shores shows a distinct residue of heavy oil,” said a Conservation representative. “Waterfowl, shags, gulls and penguins carry on feeding along the coastline, foraging in the oily waters, oblivious to their impending premature death from the effects of oiling. It is unclear how many birds will die, but it is estimated to be hundreds and even thousands.”
The Falklands prides itself on the pristine environment with an abundance of wildlife, which is a major selling point for the tourism industry. Volunteer Point, Kidney Cove and the Berkeley Sound coast of Murrell Farm and Long Island are three of the four top sites for cruise ship tourism, and could all suffer as a result of the sinking. The heavy oil is persistent in the environment and is not going to disappear unless it is cleaned up.
Berkeley Sound oil spill - Where was government action?
The conservation representative asked, “How would a similar incident and lack of obvious response reflect on the Falklands in the eyes to he world and its media, were it to happen during the tourism season? What if the consequences from this spill are still evident come the first cruise ships next season?”
Neil Watson, who owns the land on the south side of Berkeley Sound said: “I lay the blame for this horrendous disaster firmly at the door of the relevant government departments- in particular the Director of Fisheries and the Receiver of Wrecks.”
At the Murrell Farm owner Adrian Lowe said his wife Lisa had brought a number of items back from the beach covered in thick black oil. “Obviously I’m really angry about the situation – because any action has just been left too late. They should have done something immediately, have the ship towed out to sea. It’s going to be impossible to clean this up. What happens next tourist season when they come to see the penguins - maybe there won’t be any penguins to see? Wildlife excursions are my business, who will compensate me if there are no penguins?”
Speaking to Penguin News, Director of Fisheries John Barton said, “Further to information provided last week, the site of the Ocean 8 has been monitored by aerial surveillance, visits by launch and shore assessment by Falklands Conservation. “A dive survey was undertaken by SAMS on May 22. The Ocean 8 is lying on her port side in 30m of water with 20m clear over the wreck.
“Oil could be seen to be escaping from a number of points. It may be possible to plug some of these, others may be more difficult to stem fully. “Some use of chemical dispersants has been used on an experiemental basis. The depth and proximity to the shore makes the case of dispersants a marginal operation according to the oil spill contingency plan. Options for dealing with the remaining oil are being considered.” The insurers of the Ocean 8 have been formally written to requesting them to remove the oil on the vessel. Plugging has been advocated.
Falklands Conservation state however: “A National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) was produced in 1998, presumably to prevent and/or mitigate such an incidence. The NOSCP recommends on-going training in the form of annual simulation. Why have there been no recent simulation training exercises for oil spills? With the last simulation held in 1999, do the people in key posts not need ongoing training (if they are even in the same posts anymore)? Any lessons learnt (and surely they would be many) from the training exercises or actual incidents should be incorporated in an annual update of the plan, but there hasn’t been an update of the plan since inception.
“Will this most recent incident be deemed important enough to warrant an update of the plan, given that the oil spill incidences in the last ten years obviously weren’t? “There are many questions that need answering and those responsible need to explain their actions and decisions to achieve full clarity. Decision-making is critical at the earliest of stages and heavily determines what the eventual outcome will be. This has been delayed as legal implications of the situation are assessed and judged whether intervention can occur and who may subsequently be liable for its cost. It is too late to be doing this as oil is leaking.
“Is it not time that the legislation and National Plans of Actions were updated and reviewed and that regular training exercises be carried out? Action is too often delayed because the authorities need to discuss decisions directly with owners and agents, thereby losing critical time in which to act. On top of this, there also appears to be a reticence on behalf of FIG to assume responsibility, lest they incur costs
We must start questioning the power of the government in these situations, and if they do not possess the power to take sufficient action without liability then perhaps it is time they strengthen the law and their jurisdiction. “Regardless of what and how the decisions were made the fact remains that we now face an environmental and international PR crisis.
Falklands Conservation have been asked to quote for undertaking a full shoreline assessment in order to get an accurate picture of the damage.
Oil has devastating effect on wildlife
ON Sunday afternoon a group of eight staff and volunteers with Falklands Conservation headed out to Long Island to see for ourselves the damage caused by the sinking of Ocean 8 and the oil spill that followed.
I was deeply saddened and angered by what we found. Every species of bird on the south coast of Berkeley Sound has been affected – penguins, kelp geese, logger ducks, gulls and shags. Goodness only knows the impact on the marine life in the shallow coastal area.
The sand beaches were covered with globules of tar like oil and the rocks along the coastline were splattered and coated in the same substance. The first penguin we found brought back memories of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989. It was unrecognisable as a Magellanic penguin as it was completely black. All the Gentoo penguins we saw on the beach had oil on them, some worse than others.
The situation can only be described as an environmental disaster. The thing that sickens me most is that it seems that it could have been avoided if appropriate action had been taken. I’m no expert on ships and shipping but, given that permission was given by the owners of the fishing boat to do whatever was necessary to avoid any environmental impact, surely the ship could have been towed out of Berkeley Sound and dealt with in a less enclosed and environmentally sensitive area. It seems a bit like someone kept their fingers crossed and hoped it would all be OK or alternatively found a large sand dune and buried their head in it.
This isn’t going to go away and for the wildlife living along the coastline of Berkeley Sound it is going to be a problem for a very long time to come. Departments and organisations now need to work together to try and prevent further damage (as far as I know the ship is still leaking ) and deal with the legacy of Ocean 8. Government can’t just rely on charitable organisations and the goodwill of volunteers to clean up the mess which could have been avoided if action had been taken at an earlier stage. It seems a little ironic that they will be calling on Falklands Conservation to do so given that they have cut core funding for the organisation for the last two years.
There needs to be legislation in place to make sure that FIG can act to avoid a similar disaster. If oil development occurs there will be increased shipping around the islands and we must have the laws in place to protect our environment. So much for nature being in charge.
Ali Liddle, Stanley
(Ali is one of the Bluff Cove Rangers)
