GALAPAGOS (30 Jan 2001) -- The oil tanker, Jessica, that ran aground and spewed 1.1m diesel and bunker fuel into the unique Galapagos marine ecosystem, will remain half submerged in Shipwreck Bay a half mile off San Cristobal Island. Officials abandoned efforts to refloat and move the tanker due to inadequate equipment and severe hull damage caused by powerful Pacific Ocean swells. Now the listing, semi-submerged hull will serve as a symbol of the worst ecological disaster in the history of the Galapagos. It could have been a lot worse. Although beaches on three islands were fouled with oil, most of it evaporated in the strong tropical sun or drifted away in strong currents. "We will feel the effects of the spill for some time. Animals will die,'' said Dr. Fernando Espinoza of the Charles Darwin Foundation ecology center. | | Oil tanker cannot be moved Galapagos National Park officials expect the ecosystem to recover within four years, but no one can predict the long-term effects of the oil spill on the many unique and endangered species of the Galapagos Islands. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
