30,000 liters of oil threaten to spill out of the port of Isola

At the start of the tourist season, the port city of Izola in Slovenia is on the brink of a disaster that also threatens the entire Adriatic coast of the country. In January, several oil slicks appeared at the Isola Marina. At first, the authorities suspected that the oil had leaked from a boat fueling station or a leaking ship. As it turned out, the culprit was a hotel near the coast. Shortly before Christmas, heating oil gushed into the ground from an underground tank at the Delfin Hotel and since then has been drained into the sea with every rainfall.

The hotel’s manager, Miloš Milivojević, spoke to the Slovenian media about a technical defect caused by a newly installed valve in December. The damage was repaired immediately. According to Milivojevic, 3,000 liters of fuel oil was spilled. Bulkheads have been installed at the berth to prevent oil spills.

stinks in port

In May, the oil is still in the port and the stench is clearly felt. Local tour operators are already worried about the summer season. That’s right, because it’s slowly becoming clear that there are more than 3,000 liters threatening the Adriatic Sea.

“It turns out that last December, much more oil was spilled than he was willing to admit at first. We are now assuming ten times the amount,” Vladimir Jafran, director of Porting, the company that operates the Isola marina, told the Slovenian newspaper Delo. Jafran explained that so far 10,000 liters have been extracted from the port, but the rains that have fallen in the past few days have repeatedly caused new oil slicks to appear.

The Slovenian Adriatic Sea is in danger

estimated damage Regionalobala.si to at least 100,000 euros. Gafran does not think the problem will be resolved before the summer. Even worse is likely: “If 30,000 liters actually flow into the sea as a result of heavy rain and the port bulkheads are breached by a thunderstorm, the entire Slovenian Adriatic coast is in danger,” says the marina manager.