[Steve]

A large bulker 'OLIVIA' grounded on Tristan on Wednesday 16th March and from the look of her became a total loss from the moment she touched bottom. The oil is already polluting the area and the penguin colonies are threatened with complete wipe out.

The below web site is worth looking at, it was an avoidable monumental cock up

http://tristandc.com/newsmsoliva.php

Scroll down for penguins

[Kits]

Just seen this on BF Facebook. Dreadful.

[edenwatcher]

This is horrendous.

Rob

[Stewart J.]

Why was it so close inshore in the first place, propulsion / steering failure or human error???

A terrible situation for the environment and the birds

[lashinala]

I'm impressed to see that they already have a team of people setting rodent traps in anticipation of the inevitable swimmer rats.....That's forethought. It's a shame that this whole thing was avoidable with proper safety precautions.

[Irish Kite]

Disgusted - there needs to be serious criminal negligeance charges brought against the company and crew

[lewis20126]

Beyond depressing - a life sentence for those responsible is barely sufficient.

a

[mjh73]

Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory. In a recent Hansard quote the secretary of state for overseas development said in relation to the Islands that: "The UK is obliged under the UN Charter to promote the well-being of the inhabitants of the Overseas Territories."

Can I please please ask that everyone emails the Secretary of State Caroline Spelman, and their own MP to highlight the plight of the people and the wildlife in this remote outpost and make sure they don't think that because it is the middle of no-where that no-one cares about how effectively the government responds (or not).

I will be doing so tonight - I might not be a UK resident anymore but I still have a British passport!

[Zebs]

There is no excuse for a vessel to be so near to rocks, unless the vessel had a steering gear failure, or heaven forbid the crew on watch were drunk and fell asleep which often happens, They need to be severly repremanded for causing an astranomical disaster like this

[Peewit]

Just noticed this on the RSPB Forum this afternoon.

Simply awful to see birds suffering once more in life

Another link by The Independant paper.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environ...s-2248687.html

Regards
Kathy
x

[Tom Lawson]

Having been to Nightingale it is a most fabulous island,and it also has 3 endemic landbirds that no doubt would be eaten by rats when the seabirds aren't there.Why was this large vessel anywhere near the island? One wonders if nobody
was navigating! A disgrace and I hope that the owners compensate the islanders and all the other hardworking staff for their efforts to mitigate a disaster.
Tom Lawson.

[Kits]

The penguins are being rehabilitated. Pictures here.