OIL SPILL THREATENS THE COAST OF IRELAND

UNCLAS DUBLIN 000071

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON EWWT EPET EFIS SENV EI
SUBJECT: OIL SPILL THREATENS THE COAST OF IRELAND


1. (U) On February 14, through the use of aerial pollution
surveillance equipment, the Irish Coast Guard spotted an oil
spill 50 miles off the south coast of Ireland. At the time,
the spill measured 2.8 miles by 3.1 miles and was located
close to a Russian aircraft carrier and a tanker. The Irish
Coast Guard is working with its British counterpart to
monitor the spill.


2. (SBU) On February 18, Econoff spoke with John Fearon,
Director General of the Irish Coast Guard in the Department
of Transport, about the oil spill. Fearon estimated that
there are about 500 tons of oil in the water and that it is
still on the surface. He said that the Irish government had
contacted a representative from the Russian Embassy in Dublin
who admitted that a Russian aircraft carrier was being
refueled in the area and confirmed the existence of oil in
the water but did not confirm that the spill was a result of
the refueling operation.


3. (SBU) Fearon said the Irish and British Coast Guards have
been monitoring the situation since the governments first
became aware of the spill on February 14. He does not
believe that the oil can be recovered and expected the spill
to take up to 16 days to reach the Irish coast. He could not
predict where the spill would strike the coast. At this
point, the Irish Coast Guard cannot say how much oil will
eventually reached land, but Fearon said he, "would be
surprised if none reached the coast."


4. (U) The spill is located south of Ireland's second largest
city, Cork. Other than Cork, the southern coast is sparsely
populated but tourism and fishing are both important
industries in the region. Depending on weather conditions,
the spill could move east affecting the port city of
Waterford and eventually the coast of Wales.
FAUCHER