Kenyan oil spill a threat to marine life

The Kenya Ports Authority environmental team was by yesterday still struggling to contain the spread of over five million litres of oil spilt into the Indian Ocean at the Mombasa port on Thursday.

The Harbour Master, Captain Twalib Khamisi, said KPA had deployed the MV Nyangumi and MV Tangulizi tugboats to the scene.

Meanwhile, the coordinator of a European Union-sponsored project on crab farming at Tsunza, two kilometres from the port, has complained that the oil spill had put the project at risk.

Ted Kombo, who is in charge of the Tsunza Conservation and Development Programme, says the spill has endangered about 5,000 crabs.

"Our initial assessment has shown that most of the crabs will die because the oil spill has affected the mangroves, which act as their habitat," he said yesterday. He said plans to restock the crabs have been suspended until the ecosystem’s parameters stabilise.

Kombo maintained that the interference with the ecosystem in the area might affect the breeding of fish and other marine animals, which will eventually affect the livelihoods of about 3,000 Tsunza residents.

Among the endangered species is a rare mangrove, excoecarie agalocha, which in Africa is only found in Tsunza and the Mwache creek. The species is only available in Indonesia and Kenya.

National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) Deputy Chairman Ali Mohamed confirmed that the mangroves had been affected.

He said their assessment showed that the oil spill had spread more than two kilometres away from where the ship had been punctured and that it had affected mangrove trees.

He, however, said its effects on marine life were minimal, adding that this would subside in the next four days.

The spill started on Thursday evening when MV Ratna Shahil’s side was punctured by a piece of metal along the Kipevu Oil Terminal as it was being docked to discharge crude oil.