An oil pipeline supplying fuel from Wales to the Isle of Man has leaked hundreds of barrels into the Irish Sea.
The leak, which was first reported on Monday (February 14), was confirmed by oil company Eni, which said that its pipeline running between Conwy and Douglas had released nearly 500 barrels into the sea, just over 20 miles off the North Wales coast.
While the line was shut off immediately, and remains closed, small tar balls have since washed up along the Blackpool coastline.
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It remains unclear exactly what caused the leak, with details of the incident still being confirmed.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Eni said: "Eni UK Ltd confirms that a limited hydrocarbons release of less than 500 barrels occurred on Monday, February 14, from its pipeline between the Conwy and Douglas Installations, approximately 33km from the North Wales coast.
"Details of the incident are still being confirmed. The Conwy to Douglas line was shut immediately and remains off. All the relevant authorities have been promptly informed and we are working in full collaboration with them. There is no impact to any personnel on the installations.
"An Incident Management Team has been mobilised and is working closely with the relevant authorities and response contractors to understand the situation and minimise any effect to the environment.
"A further statement will be made as soon as more information becomes available."
In an update made the following day, the oil company said: "We are aware of a number of small tar balls washing up on a section of the Blackpool coast. The clean-up teams are onsite and working closely with the local authorities and coastguard."
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Counter Pollution and Salvage team, together with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)'s Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning team and the Secretary of State’s Representative, are monitoring the response of Eni UK and assisting partner local authorities in an ongoing response to an incident, which was first reported off the North Wales Coast on Monday 14 February.”
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