The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), a Regional Activity Centre of UNEP/MAP that is jointly administered with IMO, is assisting affected and likely to be affected countries in response to a fuel leakage incident that occurred on 23 August 2021 at 13:00 (UTC+3) at the Banias thermal power generation plant situated on the Mediterranean shoreline of the Syrian Arab Republic.
According to Syrian authorities, material wear has affected the structural integrity of a 25,000 cubic meter (m3) capacity fuel tank containing 12,000 m3 of fuel. This resulted in the leakage of an undetermined amount of fuel to sea. The emergency maintenance teams in the power generation plant managed to pump fuel remaining in the tank to neighboring reservoirs, and erected an earthen berm around the leaking tank to contain fuel leakage to sea.
In addition to liaising with the Syrian authorities (Environmental Safety Directorate at the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment), REMPEC is maintaining contact with neighboring countries and providing regular updates, including forecasts of the evolution of the fuel spill.
A brief timeline
Wednesday, 25 August 2021
• REMPEC was notified of the incident by the Syrian authorities.
• The Syrian authorities informed REMPEC that emergency response measures were undertaken in the affected areas with limited capacity and requested technical and logistical support.
• REMPEC activated the Mediterranean Operational Network for the Global Ocean Observing System (MONGOOS), which is part of the Mediterranean Assistance Unit (MAU), for the provision of regular simulation and prediction of the movement of the fuel spill.
Thursday, 26 August 2021
Syrian authorities stopped fuel leakage to the Mediterranean three days after the incident.
Friday, 27 August 2021
REMPEC notified neighboring countries of the incident, namely Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, and provided regular updates, including forecasts of the evolution of the fuel spill. The spill had impacted the coastline 40 kilometers north of Banias.
Monday, 30 August 2021
A crisis management meeting brought together a team of technical experts of the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment of the Syrian Arab Republic, UNEP/ROWA, UNEP/MAP, IMO and REMPEC. The meeting provided participants with updated information on the pollution, the impacted areas and measures undertaken by the Syrian authorities and REMPEC. Satellite photos revealed that the spill had broken up and reached areas located halfway between Syria and Cyprus.
Participants agreed on the next steps to be undertaken as part of the coordinated response measures to the incident:
• dispatch an expert of the Mediterranean Assistance Unit (MAU) to work with the Syrian authorities in the assessment of the situation along the affected coastline and the identification of the most appropriate techniques at sea and onshore, as well as the definition of needs in terms of means and personnel;
• assess the need for assistance from the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention;
• provide remote assistance, technical advice and online training to operational teams on the ground;
• update regularly impacted countries, particularly Cyprus and Turkey, on the progress of the spill, and plan necessary emergency measures in line with REMPEC’s mandate and ensure the coordination of efforts.
Cyprus mobilized the EMSA vessel “Alexandria”, and requested REMPEC to notify Greece and Israel about the potential activation of the Sub-regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, subject to the evolution of the situation within the next days.
Learn more
For additional information of the evolution of the spill, including forecasts on the direction it is taking, visit this page of the REMPEC website.
In line with its mandate, REMPEC provides assistance to coastal countries in the Mediterranean region facing emergencies upon their request. Earlier this year, REMPEC provided assistance to Lebanon in the context of a large spill originating at sea off the shoreline of Israel.
