Latest update on oil disaster in North Cyprus

The UN peace-keeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has said they are ready to assist and bring together the island’s two communities to face jointly efforts to contain the massive oil spillage, at the AKSA power plant in the Karpas peninsula.

A tanker spilled more than 100 tons of fuel oil near the coastline in northern Cyprus.

Rolando Gomez, UNFICYP Spokesman, that yesterday morning they received a call from the Turkish Cypriot side “to facilitate a request to the Greek Cypriot side for assistance regarding the oil leak caused at around 2am, after a pipeline from a tanker broke during attempts to supply the AKSA energy power station” in occupied Gastria.

“The mission approached the matter with great urgency and established channels to put the sides into a contact,” he added. The Greek Cypriot side agreed to provide help with the Turkish Cypriot side initially accepted it, according to Gomez. Later in the day yesterday, UNFICYP learned from the Turkish Cypriot side that the assistance from the Greek Cypriot side was no longer required as support from Turkey was about to arrive sooner than it was accepted, the Spokesman explained.

Gomez said that today they have no further information about the oil spillage and they haven’t been contacted by the Turkish Cypriot side.

“We are standing ready to assist as required. It’s clear that both sides are recognizing the seriousness of this and are working well together. We believe that bringing the sides to participate jointly to this operation is considered as a success itself,” he pointed out.

Around 100 tons of oil were spilt in the sea area in the Karpas peninsula, with the Turkish Cypriot media reported that this is the largest environmental disaster the occupied areas have faced.

Reports claim the oil spill covered a radius of five or seven kilometers on the southern side of the Karpas peninsula, towards the occupied village of Vokolida. The spill is reported to affect also a nearby fish farm.

The Turkish Cypriot side asked yesterday, through the UN, assistance from the government of the Republic, which responded within the hour, offering personnel and necessary material, according to reliable sources.

At the end, the offer was turned down.

The Turkish Cypriot side thanked the government but said aid from Turkey was on the way and it would arrive earlier than expected.

All indications at this stage are that this aid has not yet arrived.