What’s the environmental impact of the explosion? Save our seawaters [Archives:2002/42/Front Page]

Efforts are being made to clean the oil from the explosion of the French supertanker Limburg on Yemeni territorial waters and its coasts.
But the spilling of the 397,000 barrels of crude of oil may be an irrepairable ecological disaster for sea animals along Yemen’s coastal lines, which in turn could mean financial ruin for thousands of area fishermen.
Environmental experts who need to tackle the problem have an immense job ahead of them.
Fishermen at al-Mukalla have expressed their resentment of the water pollution as a result of the oil that has spread across the coast.
They haven’t been allowed to fish, but will be allowed again after the completion of the investigation processes.
“This was the best season for fishing banks in Hadhramout coast lines,” said one fisherman.
The tanker was carrying 397,000 barrels of Iranian crude and was due to load more at Mina al-Dabah, a port 500 miles south-east of the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
The explosion took place in Ashehr District in Hadhramout.
Initial reports questioned if the blast was terrorism, but both American and French investigators say they believe evidence suggests it was terrorism.

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