A marine accident in Haifa Bay on Thursday night, August 30, 2007, led to the death of the first mate and engineer of the cargo ship "Shelly". The collision and subsequent sinking of the ship led to the spill of large quantities of diesel oil, which settled on the shores of Kiryat Haim and Kiryat Yam on the following day.The collision occurred at about 10:15 pm on August 30, when the passenger liner "Salamis Glory" left Haifa port and struck the cargo ship "Shelly" which was anchored in Haifa Bay. As a result of the collision, the cargo ship sank and two shipmen died. Diesel oil began to leak from the boat, which carried some 40 tons of diesel. Upon receiving notification of the event, the Marine and Coastal Environment Division of the Ministry of Environmental Protection dispatched its marine pollution inspectors to patrol the area and review possibilities for treating the spill. Since most of the diesel oil was quickly dispersed and some settled in the water column, prevention and treatment at sea were not possible. The spill was therefore treated when it settled on shore on Friday, August 31, at about 1:00 pm. Coastal cleanup activities were carried out by the Municipality of Haifa, under the guidance and supervision of the Marine and Coastal Environment Division. The contaminated coastal sand was collected using mechanical equipment and piled on polyethylene sheets inland. In all, some 200 cubic meters of sand polluted by diesel oil were collected. Plans call for the bioremediation of the sand and its restoration to the coastal system. Throughout the event, staff of the Marine and Coastal Division remained in touch with the situation room of the Ministry of Transport and with local authority and marine insurance personnel. The marine pollution incident ended on Friday, August 31, 2007, at about 5:30 pm.
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