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Julio Barea [pictured], responsible for Greenpeace Spain's campaign against oil exploration in the country, has said that the decision to move the fuel-laden fishing vessel Oleg Naydenov away from the Canary Islands coastline was "the worst decision that could have been made".

The 136-metre-long Oleg Naydenov caught fire inside the Port of Las Palmas on Saturday and was then towed to a location approximately 15 nautical miles south of Punta de Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, where it sank on Tuesday night.

According to reports, the vessel could have been carrying between 1,400 and 1,500 tonnes of marine fuel on board at the time of the incident.

Barea is quoted by Spanish media as saying: "We haven't learnt anything since the Prestige incident."

"It is much easier to control a shipwreck, a fire and a spill in a restricted area than in open water," commented Barea, whilst also warning that there is still a risk that an oil spill could take place.

In fact, Barea has predicted that the marine fuel will eventually leak, sooner or later, because the vessel was not double-hulled and because the "horrific" fire will have weakened its structure. Additionally, Barea points out that the Oleg Naydenov is not a submersible vessel that has been built to withstand high underwater pressure.

"The vessel will degrade and the fuel will definitely leak - we just don't know how much or when," said Barea, who also warned that the strong ocean currents in the area could transport the fuel to islands nearby.

"It's a huge risk and we are surprised by the decision made by Salvamento Marítimo [the Maritime Security and Rescue Society], because the structure of the ship must have been weakened by the fire," remarked Barea.