Govt assesses oil spill

THE oil spill near Lüderitz does not seem to pose an immediate threat to the fish and rock lobster stocks along the 100 km of coastline affected.

‘We are not too worried at this stage,’ the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources atLüderitz said yesterday after completing an initial assessment of the damage caused after oil apparently starting leaking from the hull of the sunken Meob Bay trawler early this month.This morning, a crew will leave Lüderitz by boat to inspect the area where the Meob Bay sank in January 2002.Its mission is to find out how bad the spill is and if the rusted wreck is indeed the source of the oil slick that has already harmed nearly 160 African Penguins. The people of Lüderitz have been working around the clock to rescue the penguins, washing and feeding them before sending most of them to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCOB) in Cape Town.’It seems as if the worst might be over,’ the Ministry said yesterday.Only a few more oil-covered penguins have been found, but their feathers were covered in fresh oil, suggesting that the Meob Bay is still leaking oil.However, no oil has been found on the beach or on the islands in the area.According to the Ministry, this suggests that they are not dealing with a thick oil slick that will starve the water of oxygen and threaten the lobster and fish species in the affected stretch between Possession Island just south of Lüderitz and Mercury Island, about halfway between Lüderitz and Walvis Bay. A strong wind which has been blowing also helped greatly by breaking up the surface of the slick and driving it away on the current.Fisheries Minister Dr Abraham Iyambo told The Namibian on Monday night that they became aware of the oil spill during the Easter weekend, when he and other officials attended the annual lobster festival at Lüderitz.’Pilots of our Ministry flew over the area in the Atlantic Ocean and over the islands, where the affected penguins come from. As a result of these reconnaissance flights, our top officials are busy compiling a detailed report on all aspects of the oil spill, including the environmental issues,’ Dr Iyambo said. ‘We will inform the public about measures taken very soon.’An official in the office of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama yesterday afternoon said that a press statement was being drafted, which would be ready today.jo-mare@namibian.com.na