The Maritime Captaincy has activated the National Marine Pollution Plan in Situation 1, as a patch of liquid spill was discovered approximately 16 kilometers off the coast of Valencia. Salvamento Marítimo has taken samples for analysis that could come from the cleaning of ship tanks and is carrying out simulations on their possible drift, as reported by the delegation of the Government of the Valencian Community.
The notification was received this Thursday at 6:52 p.m. from the satellite system of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which reported a possible leak eight miles east of Cullera (Valencia), Maritime Rescue sources confirmed to Europa Press which, in accordance with the protocols, activated Situation 1 of the National Maritime Plan to monitor its evolution and analyze the spilled substance.
It is an action protocol that allows the provision of all the means necessary for action. The government delegation in the Valencian Community is continuously monitoring this situation and has already coordinated with the Generalitat Valenciana in case the activation of regional resources is necessary, it said in a statement.
Government delegate Pilar Bernabé has spoken to the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, to inform him of the situation and “maintain the necessary coordination that joint action may require.” The head of the Consell assured in a message on his X account that he was “waiting” for the development of the flaw.
Currently, the coordination and management of this situation, as set out in the regulations, is the responsibility of “the sea captain and sea rescue,” according to the government delegation. The Valencia Rescue Coordination Center mobilized the Helimer 215 helicopter, which confirmed the existence of the leak. Salvamar Pollux also mobilized and took samples from the site to analyze the spill.
Bernabé specified this Saturday that “in the last few hours a simulation has been carried out until tomorrow, the 28th, and it can be confirmed that no type of spill will reach the coast and that it is currently dissipating and will continue to do so will.” i.e. in the coming years. Regarding the nature of the stain, he explained that “it is oily and no solid particles are seen, which is good news”, adding that a new reconnaissance flight was carried out this Saturday at 11 a.m. to “continue monitoring” .
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This Friday, the helicopter checked the location of the spot and took samples for analysis, which will be analyzed at the CSIC in Barcelona. Likewise, the discharge of Salvamento Marítimo by sea and air routes will be monitored “at all times”. According to sources from this organization, it could apparently come from cleaning tanks on a ship.
The Emergency Coordination Center (CCE) of the Generalitat activated the territorial emergency plan in the pre-emergency phase to monitor and develop the situation. After checking the development, he ruled out that the spot would approach the coast in the next 24 hours, reports “112 CV”.
According to the government delegation and taking into account the current development, “indicators exclude that it could reach the coast in the next few hours, as the spot remains seasonal and even some drift towards the sea is observed.”
On the other hand, sources from the port of Valencia indicate that these are “waters far from the Valencian coasts”; apparently more than 16 kilometers from Valencia, but nevertheless, for security, prevention and surveillance reasons, in the event of an advance warning of this type, the Port Authority (APV) updates the information coming from the Captain's Office and from Maritime Salvage. ”
In this sense, the APV has indicated that, although it has no powers in situations of this type, it monitors the situation out of “responsibility” in order to cooperate and inform “as far as possible”.