What’s happening around the world?
Here at EvolveTours, we feel that its not only important to stay up to date with local news from our own backyard – but also from countries around the world. Recently returning from a trip to Ecuador, we’ve brought back with us some first-hand insight on the grounded ship in the Galapagos Islands that has been catching attention globally.
Woah Woah Woah. Back Up. A ship is grounded in the Galapogos?
Don’t worry we’ll get you caught up…
On January 28th of this year, the “Floreana” vessel ran aground in Ecuador. It is now grounded at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galapagos Islands, which is located on San Cristobal Island. The ship was delivering supplies to this renown UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Okay this is pretty bad, but why exactly is this making the news?
Catch is, that the ship was carrying an estimated 1400-2000 tons of cargo – some of this cargo being food, supplies, and construction materials; and the rest being worrisome hazardous substances. These hazardous substances varied from asphalt emulsion to gear oil, and drove concerns about the risks that this accident has posed on the surrounding environment. Most talk has been buzzing about the 45 000 litres of fuel that could have potentially destructive effects on nearby ecosystems.
Though officials are claiming that the greatest of the danger is behind us, Ecuador declared a state of emergency on February 5th, a week after the initial incident, and this state of emergency still remains in effect today. Such a claim ensures that authorities can have immediate access to funding in order to decrease any natural harm to the best of their abilities. Authorities are currently working to remove the ship — attempting to remove all the cargo and then safely tow the vessel to a more secure location. In the process, leakage has begun, however booms have been set up to contain the spill within a reasonable space.
This accident occurred on the West side of the Island, not far from where the Galapaface 1 crashed into the rocks less than one year ago. This raises questions as to whether or not the previous crash was dealt with appropriately – and if preventative action is being taken this time around.
We have more questions. Are the authorities dealing with this effectively? What damage has already been done? How much support are the emergency crews really receiving? Check back for our next blog post when we give you our first-hand perspective after visiting the Galapagos ourselves!
