Oil Spill at the Coast of Lebanon
In the course of the conflict in the Middle East, the oil-fuelled power plant of Jieh, located directly on the Lebanese coastline approximately 30 km south of Beirut, was hit by bombs on July 13 and 15, 2006. Part of the storage tanks caught fire and were burning for several days. A large part of the fuel was spilled into the Mediterranean Sea as a result of the blast. According to available information, 12,000 to 15,000 tons of fuel oil poured into the waters by the end of July.
Damage Assessment
A drift model set up by the European Joint Research Centre (JRC) and co-financed by Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) generated a possible scenario for the Mediterranean Sea, indicating that around 80% of the oil will eventually wash up on the beaches, while ~20% are going to vaporise and 1% of the oil is supposed to remain in coastal waters. The results of the scenario are however affected by significant uncertainties.
The type of oil spilled into the waters is called IFO-150. It is characterised by a high boiling point above 350°C, the abundance of asphaltenes and its tendency to build emulsions. These parameters complicate a chemical treatment with dispersing agents, while mechanical cleaning of affected beaches is facilitated with an increasing age of the substance.
Compared to raw oil, the larger amount of high-molecular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in IFO-150 can cause long-term damages in marine organisms. In particular, the reproduction of certain marine creatures is sensible towards hydrocarbons in oil substances. Genetic damages of fish as well as acyesis and tumors at the gonads of mussels are possible. Also with respect to higher plants (e.g. salt meadows, mangroves), the toxicity of diesel oil is assessed to be much more damaging compared to raw oil.
In order to estimate the persistency of the potential damages, experience gained from analyses of former oil spill events can now be used. As an example, the disaster of the vessel "Florida" in 1969 at Buzzards Bay (USA) shows that even 20 years after the accident with a much smaller amount of oil spilled into the waters compared to the current event, traces of the substance were detected in the sediments.
Countermeasure Activities
A request for help from the Lebanese Ministry of Environment has been forwarded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing to the Control Command for Maritime Emergencies Germany. The establishment of an EU-Task Force consisting of oil spill experts has been resolved. Its mission is to visit the localities of the oil spill and arrange countermeasures as soon as the overall security situation admits these activities.
Activities in Helmholtz-EOS concerning this event:
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