Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel s environment reporter.
The Minerva Helen crude oil tanker, seen at the oil terminal of Dunkirk, France. (Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
A crude oil tanker sailing under a Greek flag and currently anchored off Cartagena in Spain has been named by an Israeli news outlet as a suspect in the oil spill disaster that has seen almost all of Israel’s Mediterranean beaches closed down because of tar pollution.
The Kan public broadcaster reported Monday that the Greek-owned Minerva Helen, which started its working life in 2004, is suspected in this month’s incident and was previously involved in a major oil spill just off Copenhagen, Denmark, in January 2008.
When it comes to saving sea turtles, Israeli rescuers have discovered that mayonnaise is a miracle, per the AP . Employees at Israel's National Sea Turtle Rescue Center are.
National Sea Turtle Rescue Center is treating nine endangered green sea turtles affected by devastating oil spill that coated Israel's coast with thick black tar
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel s environment reporter.
A ladybug rests on tar-covered rocks and shells after an oil spill in the Mediterranean Sea, at Tel-Dor Nature Reserve in Nahsholim, Israel; Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. A disastrous oil spill has blackened most of the country s shoreline and reached beaches of neighboring Lebanon. The cleanup is expected to take months. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The government on Tuesday approved NIS 45 million ($13.8 million) for the cleanup of Israel’s Mediterranean beaches, most of which have been severely contaminated by tar following an oil spill at sea which is currently under investigation.
The government’s announcement followed a court decision Tuesday morning to cancel a seven-day ban on the reporting of any details about the probe, in favor of a package of more limited reporting rules. The change followed a petition from several media organizations.