Foul slick settles into seabed off Jiyye (Lebanon)- Greenpeace

[Tom Joad]

BEIRUT: Greenpeace Lebanon revealed on Tuesday exclusive underwater footage showing large amounts of oil polluting the seabed off the coast of Jiyye where Israel targeted a power plant, causing the most severe oil spill in the history of the Eastern Mediterranean. "The scene is horrific; the seabed is completely covered with fuel oil which will threaten marine life for many years to come if it is not contained and removed immediately," said Greenpeace activist and head of the Lebanese Union of Professional Divers Mohammad al-Sarji, who recently conducted several dives in Jiyye.

"The oil slick covers an area stretching for at least 100 meters to the West and up to dozens of meters to the north and south," said Zeina al-Hajj, Greenpeace coordinator in Lebanon.

"The oil is extensive and very toxic and we need to find a way to save the marine environment," said Dr. Rick Steiner, an oil-spill expert who has been advising the government and NGOs on the current crisis.

"If the sub-sea contamination is dealt with, it would be probably the first time worldwide to clean a seabed oil spill," Steiner told The Daily Star, adding the oil on the seabed is so thick it could be physically picked up by divers.
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