Ship Runs Aground in Galapagos

An Ecuadorian cargo ship ran aground in the Galapagos Islands on Friday, but it does not, for the moment, pose an environmental threat to the environment, reports the Galapagos National Park.

The vessel, which ran aground off the island of San Cristobal, is carrying over 60,000 litres of fuel oil. However, hull damage is reported to be away from the fuel tanks. The cargo is being removed from the vessel in the hope that it can be refloated on a high tide, and oil spill contingency plans are being prepared in case the situation changes.

The islands are located 1,000km from the South American mainland and are famous for their unique flora and fauna studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle as he developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.