The government of Gibraltar has ordered the detention of a commercial vessel for causing an oil spill in the waters of the Port of Gibraltar in the early morning hours (local time) of Friday, February 12.
The Gibraltar Port Authority (GPA) is spearheading the ongoing multi-agency effort to recover the spilled oil, which is mostly located in the port's inner harbour but has also spread out into Gibraltar Bay.
The captain of the port, Mr Manuel Tirado, said the unidentified foreign-flagged vessel and its crew will be detained until local authorities are satisfied that they take full responsibility for the incident.
Port officials added that all costs attributed to the incident will be recovered from the vessel's owners. Until such time that payment is received, the vessel will remain detained in Gibraltar waters.
Minister for the Port, Vijay Daryanani MP, said that a full investigation will be carried out to identify the events that led to the spill.