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Explore the catastrophic events surrounding the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker and its impacts on the environment. Discover the facts, reasons, and consequences of this tragedy.
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Some Facts About The Prestige • 13.11.2002 Prestige gets in trouble • 19.11.2002 Prestige sinks • Situated: Front 3.600m, Back 3.800m • Load approx. 77.000t • Yet recovered: 40.000t • Retrievel per day: 1.000t (10x greater on sea than on land)
Some Facts About The Prestige Prestige(Bahamas) Mare International (Liberia) Crown Resources(UK) 10 companies from 7 countries envolved Alfa Group Consortium
Countries With Dangerous Tonnage Panama (129,0)Liberia (52,7)Bahamas (35,8)Malta (27,5)Cypress(23,6) ( in million tons )
Some Reasons For The Catastrophy • EU regulations are not effectively enforced • Pressure groups of petrochemistry and shipowners • International economic competition • Economic structures (e.g. Yogurt), Global trade • Individual habits
Problems of Oil • Heavy oil is used for fueling ships, industrial purposes and power plants • Heazy oil is particularly toxic residue • Heavy oil consist maily of carbon (C) • Heavy oil with many polycyclic, aromatic hyrdrogen carbonates, which cause cancer, and other toxic substances • Prestige oil has high percentage of sulphur (2,58 %)
Impacts On Sea -birds 65 Natura 2000 areas affected (57 of them with SCI) • Contact with poisonous substances • Loss of insulation of feathers • Swollowing of the poisonous substances while cleaning themselves • Starvation • Possible remedy: cleaning of sea-birds?
Some Affected Species • Mytilus galloprovincialis • Octopus vulgaris • Zostera marina • Lichina pygmaea • Lamaminaria sp. • Fucus vesiculosus • => Specimen of the upper sublittoral or intertidal zone
Results Sensitive highly specialized species will suffer great losses, While other more resistant or opportunistic species will take over their habitats.