Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel: “We are examining information received from the European Maritime Safety Agency, according to which a suspected satellite was identified at sea via a satellite about a week ago, about 50 kilometers off the coast of Israel. We located about 10 ships that passed by, and one or more may be suspected To the serious incident that befell the shores of Israel “
Photo: Netanya Municipality
Volunteers arrived over the weekend to clean the shores of Netanya. Volunteers who want to continue to help are only allowed to do so in coordination with the Netanya Municipality, the Nature and Parks Authority and Aquaculture.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection’s Marine Unit has been in contact with international bodies since the beginning of the tar landing incident on the shores of Israel, in order to locate the source. In this context, preliminary information was received from the European Agency EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency) and REMPEC from Malta (Regional Center for Response to Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean) on the possibility of identifying an oil slick that occurred on February 11 as a result of ship emissions, in front of Ashkelon. -50 kilometers from the shores of Israel.
This suspicious spot, located outside Israel’s territorial waters, was identified by satellite, and was examined by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as a possible source of pollution, using a model to predict sea movement. The results of the model show a good fit to the original, and its connection to the lumps of tar emitted in recent days on the beaches – both in terms of time and in terms of the space affected.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection stated that “personnel of the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s maritime unit are in contact with European bodies in an attempt to identify the vessels that sailed near the location of the stain within the appropriate time frame, in order to find the source of the pollution.” 10 ships that have passed in time and place suitable for the formation of the oil stain.
The firm conducts an in-depth inspection to find the contaminant from the suspected ships and uses all means at its disposal to locate the contaminating vessel. Of the ten suspicious ships that passed through the said area, two even reached the port of Ashdod. Inspectors from the ministry’s naval unit conducted a surprise inspection last Thursday on one suspicious ship that was still in port, but it was ruled out as a possible source and was found to be normal in all parameters. The other suspicious ship is no longer in Israel.
On Saturday morning, a patrol flight of the Ministry of Environmental Protection located pollution spots in the sea off the coast of Haifa at several points. Boats operated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection to examine the source of the pollution closely and allow it to be treated at sea, did not find the pollution spots, which may have reached the beaches in the area as tar. The Ministry of Environmental Protection awarded an absorption equipment on the shores of Haifa to minimize damage to the beaches. “Beyond that, the ministry emphasizes that the tour flight showed that in all places the sea is clean, and as long as no further storm occurs, there are no more visible spots of pollution at this stage.”