MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, (Reuter) - An oil slick has threatened the world's largest sea lion reserve off the coast of Uruguay, local newspapers reported on Thursday.
The slick, from a weekend spill of 200 tons of crude, has washed up on Lobos Island at two points and threatens to trap thousands of sea lions, the reports said. An Argentine coast guard plane sprayed chemicals to break up the oil in the water near the island in an attempt to keep the slick from advancing on the animals. National coast guard chief Francisco Pazos said the slick was "under control," but he was contradicted by a naval spokesman responsible for the area of the spill.
The spokesman told El Observador that some oil was still leaking from the hull of the Panamanian-registered San Jorge. The ship ran aground on Saturday, 20 miles (32 km) off the Uruguayan coast, spilling the crude.
Officials initially had hoped the oil would be washed south out to sea, but a wind change sent it toward the coast.
The Uruguayan army sent 450 soldiers to clean contaminated beaches, Environment Minister Juan Chiruchi said. "The ministry will provide the army personnel with the adequate clothing and everything necessary for the manual cleaning work," he said. His ministry said that the San Jorge's owners were prepared to pay the Uruguayan government for the clean-up.
"Our theory is that he who pollutes pays," Chiruchi said.
Local environmental groups and the thriving tourism industry have expressed alarm at the accident. At the height of the summer holiday season, the slick was threatening the white sands of Punta del Este, a glitzy beach resort that lives off a seasonal influx of wealthy Argentine tourists.