Oil spills from pipeline at northwestern Latvian port

Some 500 liters of crude oil spilled from a disused pipeline into a river at the northwestern Latvian port of Ventspils on Tuesday afternoon, authorities reported.

Ventspils Naftas Terminals stevedore, which owns the pipeline, informed that the oil spilled into the port's waters but that further leakage had been prevented.

The total amount of crude oil that has leaked from the pipeline is not known at the moment. Provisional estimates by the Latvian State Environmental Service suggest that the pollution is not large.

Ventspils Naftas Terminals is working with environmental and rescue services to clean up the oil spill. Two ships with water treatment equipment on board have been involved in the clean-up operation and containment booms are being placed in the River Venta to prevent the pollution from spreading. Endit