An airliner flying over the west coast of Martinique notices that a strange material is floating off the town of Schoelcher. A building leaving the port of Fort-de-France has probably just carried out a wild degassing of its hold. The control tower is contacted and immediately informs the CROSS (Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue).
Thus began the scenario of the impressive maritime pollution control exercise carried out on Thursday, December 8, 2022 off the town of Schœlcher. “From this moment, the mechanics are started to fight against maritime pollution, says Admiral Éric Aymard, commander of the armed forces in the West Indies. “First, he explains, analyzes are carried out to find out what we are dealing with and what means to deploy. »
Within a very short time, the specialized services provide the results. It is a leak of heavy fuel oil illegally dumped at sea. Quickly, around 25 people are mobilized in crisis management, 80 people are at sea with four buildings, a helicopter and a drone. “The armed forces set up a boom to prevent the mass from spreading. We are working in close collaboration with the services of Météo France which are able to estimate the drifts of these slicks”, details the admiral.
The risk induced by this fuel oil leak is twofold. Marine mammals can get dirty by passing through this slick and fuel oil can come to the coasts and pollute the land. “Before this happens, as soon as we are aware, we must warn the population to avoid interpretations, indicates the assistant to the delegate prefect of the government for action at sea. The situation is under surveillance and very quickly, the fuel is pumped by a dedicated machine and stored in holds. The repression will follow: the voluntary discharge of hydrocarbons at sea can amount to several hundred thousand euros.