In the prevailing tides and winds, where else in Europe might be hit by the slick?
If we are lucky it will remain where it is. Also if we are lucky the winds will be offshore when the other 77,000 tonnes emerges. If not it will be a new large disaster. But remember that many other nations fish in this region and they will all be very badly effected, especially France and Portugal. What would make the clean-up operation easier? Flat seas, currents flowing away from the shore and thin oil. Unfortunately, in this case they have heavy seas and thick fuel oil. In such situations more equipment and people will not make much difference – the right equipment and experienced people will. How long is a clean-up operation of this kind likely to last? It tends to be influenced by the tides, winds and currents, which either push the oil towards the coast or relatively harmlessly out to sea. Even though the tanker has sunk, oil will still continue to pour from its tanks and cause an even bigger problem. The coastline clean-up typically takes up to six months. The environmental imp
