While the neighbors report an intense smell and contamination in the water, the authorities deny that there is a fuel spill in Manzanillo de Limón. Since Friday, the Yicel ship owned by Atlantic Shipping Company Ltd. has run aground on Playa Grande in that South Caribbean community.
After the deepest inspection on Thursday, Fernando Mora, vice minister of Water and Sea, said that no evidence of spillage was found in the water or sand. But the conditions of the wind and the waves prevented the actions to remove the fuel, so they were postponed until Friday.
The extraction is in charge of the Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery (RECOPE). Mora said that it is estimated that it will take close to 18 hours.
But the community of Manzanillo is still worried. Several neighbors report that the smell is intense, and nearby vegetation looks “stained”.
If there is a spill, the impact could be very serious to the coast, the reef system and the Gandoca – Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge that is in the area, which has the classification of Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site).