Port of Dilovasi

Background

On 12 January 2017, a spill of bunker fuel, of unspecified type and cause, occurred from an oil tanker docked in the port of Dilovasi (Kocaeli Province, Gulf of Izmit, Turkey). Over 90 tonnes of oil was reported to have been released into Izmit Bay, where it travelled dozens of kilometres driven by the currents.
Maritime traffic was suspended in the port on 13 January, before partially resuming at certain terminals on 17 January. Restrictions remained in place in certain areas, pending the cleaning of oiled vessels.

Spill response

The response on the water was implemented by the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, with quick deployment of containment booms. Meanwhile, a provincial crisis center was activated by the Kocaeli Governor’s Office. 350 operators are reported to have been mobilised to conduct containment and recovery operations on the water as well as onshore clean-up operations. TÜBITAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, was in charge of oil sampling and analysis, in order to confirm the source of the spill.

The waste generated by the clean-up operations (both at sea and on land) was stored in barrels before being collected and transported to an approved waste disposal facility in İzaydaş.