Oil from tanker reaches Italian coast
A tanker carrying liquid chemicals has spilt nine tons of oil from a leaking fuel tank, some of which washed up onto Italy's Tuscan coast, the coastguard said on Monday.
The tanker spilled oil into the sea off Livorno, a port city on Italy's west coast, according to the Environment Ministry.
None of the ship's cargo of 4 750 tons of toxic styrene was reported to have been spilled.
"Unfortunately some of the slick hit the coast," a coastguard official said.
High winds and rain had hampered attempts to contain the spill.
"We tried to intervene but what with the sea conditions there was little we could do."
The ship, the Panama-flagged Chem Star, was able to enter Livorno's port, he said.
It was not immediately clear how much environmental damage had been caused. When the oil tanker Prestige sank off Spain in November 2002 about 64 000 tons of fuel oil leaked causing severe habitat damage to beaches in France, Spain and Portugal.
The tanker spilled oil into the sea off Livorno, a port city on Italy's west coast, according to the Environment Ministry.
None of the ship's cargo of 4 750 tons of toxic styrene was reported to have been spilled.
"Unfortunately some of the slick hit the coast," a coastguard official said.
High winds and rain had hampered attempts to contain the spill.
"We tried to intervene but what with the sea conditions there was little we could do."
The ship, the Panama-flagged Chem Star, was able to enter Livorno's port, he said.
It was not immediately clear how much environmental damage had been caused. When the oil tanker Prestige sank off Spain in November 2002 about 64 000 tons of fuel oil leaked causing severe habitat damage to beaches in France, Spain and Portugal.
