Israel Locates Ship Responsible for Tar Dump on its Beaches

Jerusalem, 3 March, 2021 (TPS) -- Israeli authorities have located the ship responsible for dumping tar into the sea which landed and covered the majority of Israel’s beaches.

Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel announced Wednesday that the ship responsible for the pollution off the coast of Israel has been seized.

“We got our hands on the criminal ship. Our long arm will reach everyone who harms our nature, the sea, and our beaches,” she declared.

No details on the nationality or identity of the ship were provided.

170 of 190 km of Israel’s coast were covered with tar and damaged in an ecological disaster last weekend, the worst environmental disaster in Israel decades.

Solid and semi-solid tar from an unknown source covered the majority of Israel’s beaches. It is estimated that a ship dumped hundreds of tons of tar that was brought over to the beaches by the massive winter storm.

Dead marine animals have been washing up on Israel’s beaches, including a 17-meter baby fin whale.

This form of pollution requires people to move across the beaches and separate the tar from the sand by hand.

Israel has allocated NIS 45 million to treat the disaster.