It's a race against time in Ecuador to avoid maritime pollution.

A dive boat sank in the Galapagos archipelago on Saturday and a "superficial fuel slick" has, according to authorities, spread around the sinking site for reasons still unknown.

In this biodiversity sanctuary, preventive measures were immediately taken to avoid a scattering of the diesel contained in the tanks, indicated the management of the Galapagos National Park on social networks.

A boat with 7,500 liters of diesel

“In response to the sinking of a dive boat in Academia Bay, park rangers placed containment and dispersal barriers to limit potential negative environmental impacts.

The shipowner will carry out salvage actions, on the basis of the emergency protocol”, is it written on the Twitter account of the Park.

Photos posted with the text show floating dikes sitting on the water and rainbow streaks on the water and sand from the fuel spill.

The Ministry of the Environment estimates in a press release that the boat "contained 2,000 gallons (approximately 7,500 liters) of diesel at the time of the incident" on the island of Santa Cruz, specifying that due to "the presence of a superficial fuel slick on the surface at several points in the bay, aquatic activities have been suspended at certain tourist sites”.

The state oil company Petroecuador had earlier indicated that the "private vessel Albatros" was carrying "diesel" without specifying the quantity and that the four crew members are safe and sound.

World Heritage Islands

The Galapagos Islands are classified by Unesco as a World Heritage Site for their unique fauna and flora in the world, and are part of the World Biosphere Reserve.

The Ecuadorian archipelago, which inspired English naturalist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, has 198,000 km2 of marine protected area since a recent extension of 60,000 km2 in January.

Planet

Ecuador: In six months, the rainy season has already killed 57 people

Planet

Ecuador: a Chinese arrested at the airport with more than 200 dead seahorses

  • Planet

  • Galapagos

  • Pollution

  • Sea

  • Ecuador

  • Biodiversity

  • Diesel