Syrian officials said last week that a tank full of 15,000 tons of fuel had leaked since Aug. 23 at a thermal power plant in the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas. They said they had been able to control it.
Analysis of satellite imagery by Orbital EOS now indicates that the oil spill was larger than originally thought, spanning about 800 square kilometers (309 square miles), an area about the same size as New York City. The company told CNN on Tuesday evening that the oil slick was about 7 kilometers (4 miles) off the coast of Cyprus.
The Cyprus Department of Fisheries and Marine Affairs investigation said that, based on a simulation of oil spill movements and weather data, the stain could reach Chief Apostlos Andreas “in the next 24 hours.” The department issued the statement around 11:00 local time (4:00 ET) on Tuesday.
He also said he would be willing to help deal with the spill.
Cape Apostlos Andreas is located in the north of the divided island, controlled by Turks, and is located just over 130 kilometers (more than 80 miles) west of the Baniyas of Syria.
Photos circulating on social media for more than a week have shown the oil slick in the coastal areas of Baniyas and Jableh in Syria, and locals have warned of a potential threat to marine life.
A resident of Baniyas, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, much of the coast had been polluted.
“People didn’t need it, it’s already hard to make a living here and that certainly affected the lives of many families and made them lose their income,” the resident said.
“The government only sent equipment with sponges and water hoses; they don’t have the capacity to do that … you can’t clean the sea with sponges,” the resident added.
Turkey, which shares a border and coast with Syria, has also been attracted to contain the spill.
“We are taking the necessary steps by mobilizing our resources to stop any possibility of the spill becoming an environmental disaster,” Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told state news agency Anadolu.
The Baniyas refinery is the main source of Syrian fuel products and is essential to keep the country devastated by the war.