A large oil spill off the coast was caused by a Libyan ship sailing from Iran to Syria

The country survey had focused on an unidentified boat that passed about 50 km (30 miles) off the coast on Feb. 11 as the most likely source of what environmental groups call an ecological disaster that would take years to clean up.

“This pollution has an address,” Gamliel said Wednesday.

“Those responsible have to pay the price. Our nature has been damaged. Our animals were killed as a result of a ruthless environmental crime,” she said.

“Certainly there was someone who wanted to do harm. Either the pollution was deliberate in the first place or caused by an unreported mistake. A boat was sailing twelve kilometers off the coast. Israel in our particular economic sphere, ”Gamliel said.

“This is a crude oil tanker named Emerald, owned and operated by Libya, which was transporting goods, in a pirate manner, from Iran to Syria. The vessel will fly the Panamanian flag,” he said. am minister.

“Iran is fighting terrorism not only by trying to arm itself with nuclear weapons or to establish itself on our borders. Iran is fighting terrorism by damaging the environment. . Our fight for nature and animals should be cross-border. ”

“Together, we will consider the person responsible for environmental terrorism who has committed a crime against humanity. We will continue to regenerate the damaged beaches and animals. Together we will overcome and remove pollution from coast of our country. “

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said it had gathered strong “local evidence” that this was the ship behind the spill, although it had no “forensic evidence”. They said he also rejected any other source.

Israeli security sources said Wednesday night that they were shocked by the news with Gamliel and that they had not been involved in the investigation.

They said, however, that if Gamliel’s claims are proven to be true, he may intend to avenge Iran for killing the main nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November last year, which he sent. to blame Israel.

The vessel sailed through the Gulf and Red Sea without radio communications, changing their tracking devices back before passing through Egypt’s Suez Canal, Gamliel told reporters.

He turned the engines on again before entering Israeli waters in the eastern Mediterranean, and spilled oil into the sea between Feb. 1-2, she said

Gamliel said the Emerald turned back their tracking devices again when they arrived in Syria on Feb. 3, where she said he loaded crude oil. He then returned to Iran, where he is currently anchored, she said.

Refinitiv ship tracking data showed that the vessel reported the Sohar destination in Oman, across the Gulf of Oman from Iran, on Jan. 20, meaning that he was around the coast of Iran at that time.

The tracking data did not show any destination vessels in Iran, although it is common for ships to hide their movements there.

The vessel reported its condition after passing through the Suez Canal on Feb. 1, Refinitiv data showed. He then described the situation with Mersin’s destination in Turkey on Feb. 3, showing a gap between Feb. 1 and 3.

The ship did not report any destinations in Syria, although it is also common for shipping vessels to hide there.

An international convention calls for merchant ships to have a satellite tracking device when traveling by sea. However, the captain of a boat is allowed to dismiss the respondent in certain circumstances, allowing them to avoid a search.

Lumps of sticky black tar from the spill have also washed up on the southern coasts of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

As thousands of volunteers and soldiers continued to clean up the country’s beaches from lumps of sticky black tar and save marine wildlife, Israel reaffirmed its mission to find those responsible. .

The Ministry of Environmental Protection, which has been working with European agencies, identified 10 vessels for inspection.

“The oil spill had a source. We will not pay attention to the environmental crime and take every step to find the culprit,” Gamliel said last week.

On Saturday the Israeli Air Force confirmed that it had discovered another suspected oil spill making its way towards the Israeli coast 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the coast.

IAF planes were launched at the request of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which caught fire for failing to recognize the ecological threat posed earlier this month and to protect the coast. from its effects.