The Minister for the Environment Professor John Cortes met with NGO’s, members of the Port Department, the Department of the Environment and representatives from private contractors who were involved in the cleanup at Rosia Bay after the Gas Venus oil spill.
Minister Cortes highlighted that whilst we never want to be faced with such situations, the Government of Gibraltar acknowledges the excellent team effort and collaborative work from all parties in working tirelessly under difficult and extremely hot conditions to remove the heavy fuel oil and mitigate the environmental impact. Key workers and volunteers were presented with a certificate and medals for their contributions and sterling efforts during this clean up.
The NGO’s present included the ESG and the Nautilus Project. Private sector companies included Brightside, Drains Management, Resolve, Metalrok and Berthing and Unberthing Services.
The Government would also like to acknowledge the work done by volunteers and GJBS employees during the OS 35 clean up response and will also be issuing certificates and medals for their exemplary work.
The work at Rosia Bay continues as rocks are replaced along the revetment. Additionally, the University of Gibraltar will be conducting a year long assessment on the ecological recovery of the site and present its findings to the Government on a regular basis.
Professor John Cortes added: “We must now take stock and work closely with NGO’s, relevant Government Departments and industry players to look at ways of further safeguarding our environment. I will be meeting with all stakeholders next week to debrief and discuss lessons learnt and possible improvements.”
ENDS
