Worry As Galapagos Oil Spill Spreads

Jan. 22 -- In one of the world's most fragile ecosystems, cleanup teams are fighting an oil spill the size of Los Angeles.

A tanker ran aground last week off San Cristobal Island, and this morning, the tanker was practically on its side, the waves breaking just 500 yards from land.

Despite their best efforts, officials said 200,000 gallons of engine fuel had already leaked from the hull, endangering the islands' 5,000 species of plants and animals — many of which had evolved for thousands of years in isolation with little human intervention.

The oil slick was putting sea lions, pelicans and crabs at risk — as well as the rare Galapagos Penguin.

Ecuador, which has sovereignty over the islands, has appealed for international help to contain the spill. The country's environment minister, Rodolfo Rendon, said the "environmental damage is extremely grave."

Efforts from Abroad

A tremendous relief effort has been mobilized to combat the oil slick.

A Coast Guard team from Mobile, Ala., has been trying, against the odds, to pump any remaining fuel from the ship so that it won't spill into the ocean.

"The best thing that you can do is take care of the oil here at the source of pollution, where it's concentrated," said Ed Stanton, the leader of the team.

They have specialized oil spill equipment, such as inflatable oil containment barges, and high-capacity pumps to help remove remaining fuel from the ship's storage tanks.

Each inflatable oil containment barge has a capacity to hold 26,000 gallons of the fuel pumped out of the ship until it can be offloaded later.

"The team will advise and help local officials in their efforts to control and contain the spill, which will include assistance to pump out the fuel, erect floating walls and offer advice on how to stabilize and salvage the ship," said Dan Dewell, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman.

"The bottom line is once oil gets out of a ship, it is virtually impossible to remove or contain in on the open ocean," said Stanton.