Greenpeace exposes suffocating oil slick on the seabed off the Lebanese coast

At a press conference in Beirut, Greenpeace and the Lebanese Union of Professional Divers screened previously unseen video footage showing the underwater oil slick covering an area stretching over 100 meters to the West and in places dozens of meters to the North and South of the site of the leak. The newly-discovered oil on the seabed could be brought back to the surface with currents and winds and could lead to further contamination of the coastline.

"The scene is horrific, the seabed is completely covered with fuel oil which will threaten marine life for many years to come if it is not contained and removed immediately" said Mohammed El-Sarji, Greenpeace activist and head of the Lebanese Union of professional Divers who conducted several dives in Jieh.

Oil spill expert Professor Rick Steiner from the University of Alaska, who is in Beirut advising the Lebanese government and various NGOs commented: "This might the first time ever that seabed contamination has been documented this clearly. The oil is extensive and very toxic and a we need to find a way to save the marine environment."

Greenpeace reiterated its call for a thorough investigation and analysis of the impact of the oil spill, along with other environmental casualties of the conflict. Zeina Al Hajj, Greenpeace co-ordinator in Beirut commented "The images are alarming and it is clear that a full assessment of the extent of the oil spill will need underwater investigation along the coast as well as aerial and ground surveillance; the blockade must be lifted for this work to proceed.
More effort is needed to recover as much oil as possible from contaminated areas. A full damage assessment must be carried out to cover all the environmental impacts caused by the war and, as a priority, caused by this spill."

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of Fuel Oil 1501 poured into the Mediterranean Sea following the bombing of the Jieh power plant on July 13 and 15.  This has contaminated up to 30 areas along 150 km of the Lebanese coast north of Jieh; however the full extent of the spill has yet to be fully assessed as aerial surveillance is still not possible due to an air and sea blockade. 

Response to the spill was delayed due to the war and oil recovery and mitigation only started five weeks after the spill occurred. Even now, only a limited response is possible due to difficulties in getting more equipment and expertise into the area, contributing to further contamination.

Greenpeace has been working to gather information for a post conflict environmental assessment in Lebanon and will provide the authorities with the details of this seabed contamination.  The organisation has offered whatever help it can provide to the regional and national authorities and will be contributing to the mitigation efforts.