Welcome to Markleen Newsletter no. 6 containing a summary of recent news items.

In the world of oil spill response, one event stands out above all others: the sinking of the Don Pedro off the coast of Ibiza in July, causing Spain's largest single oil spill since the sinking of the Prestige in 2002. From the outset Markleen was heavily involved, manufacturing thousands of metres of sorbent booms which were quickly dispatched to Ibiza, where the Balearic Islands local government, in conjunction with the Spanish Coast Guard (SASEMAR), was in charge of clean-up operations.

Sorbent booms were chosen as the method of preference due to the nature of the spill - light fuel - and the general consensus is that the incident was dealt with quickly and efficiently, enabling local beaches to be restored to normal within days.

Despite the overall success of the spill clean-up operations, this accident just goes to show that oil spill contingency planning must never be neglected, as a similar (or worse) incident could happen at any time without warning.