CABO SOUNION

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Oil spilled during mooring operation

An oil leak was detected while the 'Cabo Sounion' was mooring at an underwater loading buoy off the Puerto Rosales oil port, about 30 kilometres southeast of the port city of Bahia Blanca in pos. 38 57 43 S, 061 59 58 W, on Dec 26, 2023, at 10.15 p.m. GMT. The pollution was discovered by a fisherman in the early morning of Dec 27 and reported to the relevant authorities.On Jan 15,2024, the subsidiary of the German group Oiltanking was said to be responsible for environmental damage. A criminal complaint has been filed in federal court against the loading port operator Oiltanking Ebytem. The subsidiary of the German Oiltanking GmbH was held responsible for the oil slick measuring more than 20 square kilometres in the bay off Bahia Blanca. The company was accused of activating the intended emergency protocol too late. The complaint was filed by the municipalities of Bahia Blanca and Coronel Rosales. The courts must examine whether the company acted negligently. The incident should have immediately been reported to the Argentine Naval Prefecture. The Oiltanking Ebytem has now admitted that it knew about the pollution early on. More than 23,000 square metres of space have already been cleaned. Whether the company wanted to downplay the oil spill or even cover it up will now have to be clarified in court. Satellite images showed that the oil slick was at least 21 square kilometres in size. The nature reserves of Bahia Blanca, Bahia Falsa and Bahia Verde have been affected by the oil spill.