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The authorities at Algeciras port have demanded that the owners of the British-registered Ropax 1 pay two bonds worth a total of 400,000 euros following a bunker spill in Algeciras Bay last weekend.

The incident took place last Saturday when the vessel slipped its moorings during storms and collided with a monobuoy pertaining to oil company CEPSA, anchored approximately two miles offshore.

After the collision, the vessel was towed into the port of Algeciras, where a one-metre crack was reportedly detected in its hull.

There has been some doubt, however, as to the source of the pollution. An initial inspection of the Ropax 1 appeared to show that the crack in the hull had not breached its fuel tanks - and was therefore not the cause of the spill.

Meanwhile, Juan Pérez de Haro, Director of CEPSA's Gibraltar-San Roque refinery said yesterday that the monobuoy suffered only minor superficial damage and had not leaked any fuel as a result of the collision either.

The authorities at Algeciras port have demanded that the owners of the Ropax 1 pay a bond of 100,000 euros to cover a "possible" fine, plus an additional 300,000 euros for potential damage to the environment.

Representatives of the Port Authority of Gibraltar have inspected beaches within the vicinity of the oil spill and found "a small amount of fuel" in Camp Bay and Western Beach. Pockets of fuel were also discovered on the beach in Little Bay and in the sea near the coastline.

In Rosia Bay, port authority workers found an oil slick which was three metres in diameter.

The Ropax 1 had been immobilized in Algeciras Bay since November 25th, when it was detained by Malaga port authorities for anchoring in Spanish waters without proper authorization.