A spokesman for the Verdemar-Ecologistas en Acción organisation said yesterday that they have "well-founded suspicions" that the Gibraltarian government is planning to scuttle "three quarters of the bow" of the stricken 'Fedra' "17 miles southeast of Punta Europa, and in Spanish waters."

Local activist, Antonio Muñoz, went on to explain that it had originally been intended to either refloat the ship, which came to grief in storms last October 10th, in order to take it back to port to be broken up, or break up the wreck at the scene to take back to port piece by piece.

However, given that Gibraltar's salvage companies are still completely swamped with wreckage from the 'New Flame' oil tanker, which went down in August 2007, it is now planned to sink it instead.

Mr Muñoz goes on to point out that the Liberian-registered 'Fedra', which is owned by the Greek Dilek Transport company, has had a chequered history since its launch in 1984, including being detained for a variety of reasons at ports in the USA, Italy and China, and argues that there is no knowing what manner of toxic residues may remain in its holds.

Grounded Algeciras cargo ship refloated
By: thinkSPAIN
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A team from the Svitzer S. Wijsmuller company successfully refloated the Liberian-registered 'Tawe' yesterday, which ran aground in Algeciras Bay during a violent storm on Saturday, October 11th.

It will now be towed to the Campamento de San Roque dock in Cádiz where her damaged tanks can be repaired.

However, fuel from a second Liberian-registered ship - the 'Fedra' (main photo) - which broke in two after running aground off Gibraltar the day before the 'Tawe' came to grief, continues to contaminate beaches on both sides of the Straits.

After oil was detected in Ceuta last week, yesterday, volunteers from the Agaden ecological organisation found small pancakes of fuel oil in Getares Cove as well as on La Concha beach in El Rinconcillo.

Gibraltar wreck fuel detected on Tarifa beaches
By: thinkSPAIN
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Small globules of oil - measuring roughly 4cm across - from the wreck of the Liberian tanker 'Fedra', which is in two pieces off the Gibraltarian coast, have been detected on a 250m stretch of Tarifa coast between Los Lances beach and the Jara river estuary.

It is estimated that around 150 tonnes of fuel have leaked from the 'Fedra', and that roughly the same quantity remains in its tanks.

Four vessels - the 'Salvamar Alkaid', the 'Salvamar Algecrias', the 'Clara Campoamor' and the 'Bahía II' - continue to try and disperse the worst of the spillage before it reaches land, and talks are being put held to work out the safest way of pumping out the remaining fuel without causing further pollution.

As a result of the contamination, around thirty fishing boats were forced to return to port yesterday, and a second meeting involving all fishing crews from Algeciras, Tarifa and La Línea was held in Algeciras this morning.

With respect to the second Liberian registered vessel that ran aground in the Straits of Gibraltar during last weekend's storms - the 'Tawe' - it is thought that around 30 of the 230 tonnes of fuel on board, spilled into the sea.

Cádiz beaches declared clear of shipwreck spill
By: thinkSPAIN
Monday, October 13, 2008

According to the regional Environment department, the operation to clean the 400 metres of coastline contaminated with fuel from the Liberian registered 'Tawe', which ran aground off San Juan García Point near Algeciras (Cádiz) during last Saturday's storms, was completed yesterday.

A spokesman revealed that around 230 cubic metres of light fuel oil have been recovered from El Chinarral beach, and that environmental agents are checking the area for signs of further damage. The crew of 22 remained on board.

A second Liberian ship, the 'Fedra', which broke in two on Friday after also running aground in Algeciras Bay, but in Gibraltarian waters, leaked around 150 tonnes of light fuel oil - around half of its total supply.

A spokesman for the Gibraltarian government explained that the existing spill has already been dealt with, and that the rest of the ship's fuel will be removed from its tanks over the next few days.