Galician beaches face environmental disaster due to millions of pellets lost by container ship in Portuguese waters
Kyiv • UNN
Galician beaches are suffering from a plastic pellet spill after a container ship lost its cargo, prompting hundreds of volunteers to clean up the pollution.
The Galician coast of Spain is dyed white by millions of white plastic balloons lost by a ship whose owners are behind a network of companies, flags and nationalities. Hundreds of volunteers have been supporting a wave of solidarity for several days to clean at least twenty beaches from the five-millimeter balloons, which are hidden among the sand and seaweed.
This was reported by UNN , citing El Periódico de España.
Details
In recent weeks, the coast of Galicia has been bombarded with millions of pellets of white plastic balls originating from the Liberian-flagged ship Toconao. Several containers from the vessel, which was sailing off the Portuguese coast near the city of Viana do Castelo a month ago, fell into the sea. One of the containers was loaded with bags of white pellets, which later reached Galician beaches.
According to media reports, hundreds of citizens living near Rías Baixas, Muros Neuilly, Marinha Alta and other areas, along with a community of volunteers who responded, have devoted the coming days to "combing" at least twenty beaches in Galicia. In addition, the regional authorities have announced that starting this Monday they will increase their staff by mobilizing workers in Ribeira and Corrubedo.
In addition, a task force composed of ecologists, wardens and local service professionals has been formed - this group has set out along the beaches of the Corrubedo Natural Park to identify and begin removing the plastic pellets that have been arriving on the Galician coast in recent days, both in bags and in dispersed form.
On O Vilar beach in Ribeira, one of the most affected by the plastic influx, the appeal received a great response - people cleaned up throughout the day.
I didn't think there was so much garbage here, but it's so small that some of them got angry about the drains
Galicia faces a wave of microplastics amid inertia from the central government
Representatives of local authorities say that for a long time they have not received an official notification from the central executive authorities of Spain regarding the spill of the container ship's contents; it is stated that Madrid has allegedly known about it since December 20.
The Minister of the Sea, Alfonso Villarez, asked for a direct line of communication to be opened, which would allow not only the autonomous administration but also citizens to truly know the extent of the disaster. The official emphasized that this is a national problem, "which also affects the coasts of Asturias and Cantabria." Representatives of the government of Galicia have announced the introduction of a surveillance system on the main beaches and estuaries of the region, and the work of environmentalists will be intensified in the coming days.
Who will be responsible for the disaster
The ship responsible for the dumping of the pellets that devastated the beaches of Galicia is called the Toconao, and it was flying the Liberian flag; it is also reported that the container ship belongs to a Bermuda-based shipowner, a company that is a subsidiary of a large company in Cyprus owned by a German shipowner.
Information about the shipping company to which the Toconao belongs suggests that it may be difficult to hold them accountable. According to the Galicia Press, some measures have already been taken and the shipowners' lawyers have allegedly called and promised to pay the costs.
As for the Toconao's onward journey, according to ship tracking portals such as Vessel Finder, the container ship has just made a voyage between a German port and a Moroccan port. This route would have led it to Fisterra (a municipality in Spain, part of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, in the province of La Coruña - ed) and would explain the pollution that affects Galicia and other regions of northern Spain, the Spanish newspaper writes.
