This morning the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo QC and His Excellency the Governor Vice Admiral Sir David Steel jointly chaired a meeting of the Gibraltar Contingency Council and of the Strategic  Coordination Group at No.6 Convent Place to receive updates on the ongoing incident involving  the bulk carrier, the OS 35, in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia, the Minister for the Port Vijay Daryanani and the Minister for Environment John Cortes were also present.  

A statement from the Government follows below:

THE BULK CARRIER OS 35: 

A survey inspection by a specialist team of divers this morning has confirmed that the OS 35’s  bulbous bow is currently submerged 1.2 metres into the sandy seabed.  

There is significant damage to the vessel’s starboard side, including a gash amidships, below the  waterline, measuring approximately 10 metres by 4 metres.  

All crew members are safe and well, with no injuries reported, and are remaining on board.

THE ADAM LNG: 

The vessel ADAM LNG appears to have suffered no significant damage, except for a superficial dent  to its bulbous bow.  

No injuries have been reported among the crew and there has been no water ingress.  This has been confirmed by divers and by an internal survey.  

A specialist team of marine salvors from the Netherlands is due to arrive in Gibraltar early this  afternoon to conduct a full on-site assessment immediately on their arrival.  

The Government is advised that weather conditions are forecast to be good in the coming days,  which will assist in operations moving forward.

The Gibraltar Port Authority currently has 2 tugs and 3 service craft deployed to the scene, assisted  by Salvamento Maritimo, and are ready to react to any incident that may develop.  

The Port of Algeciras is working in close coordination with the Gibraltar Port Authority, and has  also been authorised to deploy assets, including a Salvamento Maritimo helicopter to undertake an  aerial survey of the OS 35. 

The Government takes this opportunity to thank all those involved in the multi-agency response  overnight.  

A further meeting of the Strategic Coordination Group is scheduled for this evening.