Spain ships water to drought-hit Barcelona

A ship loaded with drinking water has docked in Barcelona as part of an unprecedented emergency plan to alleviate a drought triggered by rock-bottom rainfall.

The ship carried water from nearby Tarragona. It arrived shortly before 9am local time today.

A second vessel from Marseilles, France, is scheduled to arrive on Thursday.

The regional government of Catalonia says 10 shiploads would arrive every two months, half from Marseilles, the rest from Tarragona and Almeria, in southern Spain.

Records show Spain is suffering its driest springs since records began 60 years ago.

Barcelona is one of the worst hit areas with reservoirs at about a fifth of their capacity, compared to some 50% nationally.