Weather hinders tanker spill clean-up

Picturesque coastal areas hit by the Prestige oil tanker spill were facing a fresh deluge of sludge today, with fierce winds blowing slicks in from the Atlantic.

Winds gusting up to 66mph were pushing what Spaniards call a “black tide” towards more of the shellfish-raising stretch of the country’s north-west Galicia region, which has a €345 million-a-year fish and seafood industry.

Particularly vulnerable is the Muros inlet, where officials say they have no floating barriers to keep out the toxic fuel oil that has already contaminated 90 beaches along nearly 180 miles of coast since the Bahamas-flagged tanker ruptured on November 13. It finally split in two and sank on Tuesday.

Defence minister Federico Trillo said Spain considered bombing the ship with Harrier jump-jets or F18 fighter planes to sink it or burn off the fuel as it was towed by salvage tugs for six days, looking in vain for a port to carry out repairs.

He said officials were not convinced the plan would work, but it became moot when the ship went down. “The course of events made it unnecessary,” Trillo told Spanish national radio last night.

Seeking to ease fears of an Exxon Valdez-style ecological catastrophe, the interior ministry said no more oil had spilled since the single-hulled vessel sank. It offered assurances that the oil would probably solidify two miles down in frigid water, limiting damage.