Clean up operation underway on Cork’s River Lee following oil spillage

The local authority said it was working with the Port of Cork Company the remove contamination from the water, following an accident which took place this morning.

"At 9.45am today, a small amount of marine gas oil (MGO) was released into a limited area of the River Lee. The release took place during a transfer from a road tanker to a fishing vessel at Horgan’s Quay. The release was momentary and was stopped quickly,” a spokesperson for the council said.

In a joint operation, teams from Cork City Council and the Port of Cork Company, are currently responding to the incident. It is estimated that up to 20 litres of MGO may have entered the water.

The spokesperson said the release took place adjacent to the quayside and away from Cork Harbour’s environmentally sensitive areas.

"The Irish Coastguard has been informed. It is expected that the response will be completed in the coming hours. An investigation is ongoing,” they added.

A spokesperson for the Port of Cork Company said they have now “moved from a clean up response to monitoring the situation with response equipment in place at the incident”.

The port of Cork is one of the busiest in Ireland and according the company’s 2022 Annual report – which was released earlier this month – its turnover increased by 21.5pc to €48.41 million in 2022 from €39.8 million in 2021 and the company’s profits also increased by 17.7pc, with an operating profit of €9.16 million – up from €7.78 million in 2021.

Employment figures also increased last year, from 154 to 170, as a result of operating two container terminals at Tivoli and the new Cork Container Terminal in Ringaskiddy, the report states.

The Port of Cork is also currently the only port in Ireland with full planning permission in place for Offshore Renewable Energy infrastructure development.