Gran Canaria fears oil spill as ship sinks off coast

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Image by El Coleccionista de Instantes / CC BY-SA 2.0

A Russian fishing boat carrying 1500 tons of fuel has sunk off the island of Gran Canaria after catching fire inside the port of Las Palmas. The boat sunk close to the popular Canary Islands beach of Punta de Maspalomas. The authorities have towed the boat out to sea for safety, a decision that has been criticised by analysts who claim an oil spill would be more difficult to contain in open water. So far, a few oil stains have been detected near where the ship sank, but there has been no major spill. Read more: elpais.com