Spain May Build New Type of Robot to Pump Out Prestige Oil
A scientific committee advising the government has recommended that Spain try to pump out the oil, which poses a long-term danger to the environment after the Prestige sank on November 19.
Robots have never descended below a depth of 2.8 kilometers under water, while the wreck of the Prestige lies at a depth of almost four kilometers on the ocean floor, according to experts quoted by the daily **El Mundo**.
The government may charge a group of companies to develop the robot at a cost of more than 200 million euros (217 million dollars).
Salvagers using ships or a floating platform could only put the robot to work in good weather conditions, so the oil could not be pumped out before the summer of 2003 or 2004.
There was a considerable risk of failure in attempting to build such a sophisticated robot, **El Mundo** said.
The other option is to build a concrete or metal "coffin" around the wreck of the Prestige, but scientists are unsure how the materials would react to water pressure and other conditions at such a depth.
The scientific committee has handed a report to Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and the government will take a decision later on.
The Prestige has spilled some 25,000 tons of oil before and after sinking, and continues to leak small amounts on the sea bed.
The submarine Nautile has sealed most of the cracks in the hull with metal covers, but experts say they are only a temporary solution.
Spain says oil has polluted almost 700 beaches and nearly 3,000 kilometers of coastline. The International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund, which will pay damages for the Prestige oil disaster, estimates the affected area at 900 kilometers, the daily **El Pais** reported.
Three months after the Greek-owned tanker sprang a leak on November 13 and sank six days later, oil continues washing ashore in northwestern Spain, where thousands of fishermen and shellfish harvesters have been left without work.
Oil slicks have hurt tens of thousands of marine birds and dozens of other animals such as tortoises and dolphins.
The government estimates the cost of the disaster at a minimum of a billion euros while the FIDAC puts it at up to 570 million euros.