The seventh oil spill in the Red Sea since September, 2011 has gone virtually unnoticed. The most recent spill in Gamsha Bay, which has been attributed to General Petroleum Company, has received no additional press coverage after it was reported last week in Egypt Independent.
Both an onshore and offshore leak, it is particularly hazardous as large quantities of hydrogen sulfide gas are being released.
Director Hassan Abdel Salan said that the company is drilling an additional three wells to stem the leak, which appears to have been continuing over a period of several months, but blames Ministry of Environment researchers sent to evaluate the scene for failing to conduct thorough geophysical surveys.
Green Prophet has been unable to verify these reports but the local newspaper claims that General Petroleum has been fined $300,000 for their role in the spill. Even though Egypt is caught up in major political upheavals given the ongoing presidential race, if there is to be any hope of recovery, somebody ought to start paying serious attention to the country’s vulnerable natural resources.
Image credit: Contaminated Fish, Shutterstock
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
