An oil tanker has lost at least 10,000 liters of oil in the Albert Canal at the height of the lock of Olen on Wednesday evening. That writes VRT based on the local authorities. According to the mayor of Olen Kris Gebruers, there is an oil slick of a few kilometers on the water. “The stain is also spread over the entire width of the canal,” he says.
Shipping traffic on the canal has been stopped after the disaster. A special company will try to suck up the stain, says the mayor. “We have to wait until the slurry has been cleaned up. Until then, traffic on the canal stops.” The police are investigating the Lek and interrogate, among other things, the skipper of the oil tanker.
A drinking water disaster may threaten for the municipality of Antwerp. “In Antwerp, drinking water is extracted from the Albert Canal,” says Mayor Gebruers. “We hope that the oil will not get that far, because then the damage cannot be foreseen.” Local residents of the channel that suffer from the smell of the oil are called upon to keep their windows and doors closed.