The Government of Spain offers its collaboration to the Xunta to participate in the collection and cleaning of the plastic pellets that arrived on the Galician coast, in a spirit of cooperation, loyalty and mutual respect.
Demonstrating this willingness to help and cooperate with loyalty, the Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribeira, called this morning the President of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, to offer him all the support of the Government of Spain in the cleanup and restoration of the affected areas.
In order for this support to be effective and for the Government to be able to mobilize State resources, it is necessary for Xunta to activate Emergency Level 2, which is intended for particularly vulnerable emergencies, and to expressly request the mobilization of State resources. The next level, level 3, is used in situations of national interest. At the moment, the emergency decreed by the Galician authorities is level 1.
In anticipation of that possible decision of the Xunta, and for responsibility in prevention of any scenario, the media of the Government of Spain are prepared to intervene as soon as the autonomous government requires it.
The facts
On December 13, sacks filled with plastic pellets and also dispersed pellets began to arrive on the coast of Ribeira. The first alert received by the Government comes through the Xunta, specifically the services of 112 of Galicia, which are the ones who communicate the first information to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. At the same time, the guards of the Coastal Demarcation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge carried out surveillance work on the affected coast.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Center of Finisterre immediately opened an investigation to determine the origin of the spill. The first evidence already indicated that it could be the contents of one of the six containers that the ship TOCONAO (flag of Liberia - IMO 9627899) would lose, on December 8, about 80 kilometers west of Viana do Castelo (Portuguese SAR Waters of Responsibility).
On December 20, the ship’s shipowners’ lawyer acknowledged the facts to the Maritime Rescue coordination center. He explained that they had hired specialized technicians to monitor the spill and made themselves available to pay for the costs of cleaning and to collaborate as necessary. On the same day, the Government informs the Xunta de Galicia of these developments.
On January 4, the ship’s shipowners’ lawyer estimated that the crashed container housed 1,000 bags of pellets. He also reported that they have no record of the container sinking or not, so they do not know the exact number of bags that make up the spill.
With regard to the contents of the containers that fell into the sea, the Portuguese authorities were asked to provide full information in a final report of the actions carried out.
The Government of Spain is conducting a thorough follow-up of the incident. On the one hand, through satellite images and aerial surveillance programmed by the General Directorate of Merchant Marine, which did not detect any stains. In addition, from the Demarcation of Costas in Galicia, and in terms of the situation on the coast, the affected concellos were contacted from the first moment for the withdrawal of the pellets (Ribeira and Porto do Son in December, Muros in January). Constant monitoring of the area was also carried out, noting that the incidence until January 5 had been punctual (three municipalities), although the removal of these remains can be very laborious.
On January 3, the arrival of pellets to the municipality of Muros is recorded.
And on January 6 and 7 they begin to appear further north, to A Coruña and Oleiros, and further south, to the Vigo estuary.
On the weekend of January 6 and 7, pellets begin to arrive in the other Galician municipalities.
On Monday, January 8, the Demarcation of Costas will contact the concellos affected to know first-hand the actions that are being carried out.
Competencies at sea and on land
The organization of the response to accidental marine pollution that may affect Spanish waters and coasts is regulated in Royal Decree 1695/2012, of 21 December , which approves the National Response System (SNR) to marine pollution.
The SNR collects two subsystems: sea and coast. In the sea in competition it is entirely of the State, through the MITMA.
On the coast, however, the activation is staggered and the Government is the third to act, after the local and regional entities. In other words, the affected concellos activate the municipal plans; secondly, the regional administration activates its territorial plans and, thirdly, the State Plan for the Protection of the Ribeira del Mar against Pollution (Ribeira Plan) of MITECO, approved by Order AAA/702/2014, is activated.
On the coast, as it now corresponds to an emergency situation 1, the affected coastal municipalities (Ribeira, Porto do Son and Muros, until January 5) are acting in the clean-up.
On January 5, the Government Delegation in Galicia received the communication from the Xunta of the activation of the Territorial Contingency Plan for Accidental Marine Pollution of Galicia (CAMGAL plan). This plan was activated in the emergency phase, minimum level (situation 1). The activation of CAMGAL means that from that moment (14:40h of January 5) the Ribeira Plan of MITECO is activated at the alert level.
In order for MITECO to act, in accordance with the provisions of the National Response System, level 2 of emergency must first be declared and the Xunta must formally request the help of State resources.