LATEST: SEABIRDS POLLUTION

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has received reports of seabirds being washed ashore covered in a waxy substance along parts of the Devon and Cornwall coastline.

The MCA is liaising with partner agencies to find out the extent of the problem, and if at all possible, to determine the source.

UPDATE: 16:00 Friday 19 April

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Counter Pollution branch is trying to identify the source of the PIB that has contaminated seabirds off the south west coast.

PIB is a commonly used chemical carried in large quantities around the world by chemical tankers. Residue of PIB can be legally discharged from ships under controlled defined conditions set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Prevention of Pollution Convention (MARPOL).

The MCA is currently collecting data of the ships that passed through the area during a specific time frame, and looking through detailed cargo manifests. This is time consuming and resource intensive, but every effort is being made to try to determine the source.

UPDATE: 10:00 Wednesday 8 May

The number of tankers currently being considered stands at 7 and we are in the process of investigating these further.

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