The Romanian Waters National Administration (ANAR) has reported that 35 tonnes of oil has leaked into the Danube from a ship under the Bulgarian flag, told Agerpres.

"Thirty-five tonnes of oil products leaked from a ship under the Bulgarian flag on the main course of the Danube, near Celarevo (Serbia), altitude 1,287 meters. The information was received by the Ministry of the Environment, Waters and Forestry and the Romanian Waters National Administration - Emergency Management Department, via the Secretary for Border Waters under the Romania-Serbia Bilateral Agreement, in the afternoon of June 20 this year," reads an ANAR press statement.

According to ANAR, the times estimated by specialists for the propagation of pollution are about 24 - 30 hours until entering the country.

"Taking into account the said amount of pollutant, the length of the pollution wave will be about 70-100 km in the non-intervention conditions, downstream from where the event originated. At this moment, Serbia is acting through the Vode Vojvodine teams (provincial water inspection, accredited laboratory, etc.) together with the Serbian army in order to protect Belgrade fromany effects of the accidental pollution. Thus, a suitable location was identified where a floating protection dam was installed, at this time, with the oil spill being contained. At the request of the ANAR Director General Sorin Lucaci, teams of the Banat Water Basin Administration (ABA) started the (visual) monitoring of the Danube waters, in the Bazias section, just last night," according to ANAR.

The response team from the Romanian Waters (ABA) Banat- Caras-Severin Water Management System (SGA) is prepared to act with spill sorb type of material that will be spread from motor boats, since the width of the Danube in the area where it is estimated that the wave of pollution will enter does not allow deploying an absorbent floating dam.

The depollution response, as well as the collection of water samples, will be carried out by the ANAR teams only in the event that the pollution wave reaches Romania, namely if oil iridescence is observed.