The bans on the beaches of Seixal and Barreiro, following a fuel spill, were lifted on Saturday after the waters were deemed free of substances harmful to health, officials from both municipalities in the Setúbal district announced.
The Seixal City Council announced on Sunday that the ban, in place since early in the month on the beaches of Velha, Barcos, and Seixal, was lifted. This decision came after a pollution incident resulting from a fuel spill during a refueling operation at the Multi-Use Terminal of Lisbon (TML) in Santa Apolónia, Lisbon.
According to the municipality, a notice issued by the Lisbon Port Captaincy confirms that analyses performed in collaboration with the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Health Directorate “do not show the presence of substances harmful to public health in the water.”
Accordingly, access to the previously restricted beaches and the practice of recreational and sports activities has been reinstated, though monitoring and surveillance of the areas affected by the spill will continue, stated a notice issued by Seixal City Council.
The same notice from the Lisbon Port Captaincy lifted the restrictions that were in place on the river beaches of Barreiro, following an incident on July 3 when the spill reached this area, as reported by the municipality on its Facebook page at the time.
In the same publication, the municipality informed that the same access restrictions imposed by the Maritime Authority for the Seixal area applied to these river beaches, and citizens were advised against entering the water or circulating in the affected areas.
In a new update on Saturday, the Barreiro City Council announced the end of restrictions and stated that, like Seixal, the area will continue to be monitored.
On Wednesday, the National Maritime Authority (AMN) detected debris from the fuel spill on the sands of the Seixal area, prompting restrictions on public access where the pollutant was visible in the water or sand.
According to the AMN, pollution was detected on July 1, and elements of the captaincy, in collaboration with the port authority, proceeded to contain the polluting product by taking all possible measures to mitigate the effects of the spill.
The Maritime Police collected samples of the polluting material for evidence preservation and subsequent procedural instruction, which were submitted to the Reference Laboratory for the Environment of the Portuguese Environment Agency.
Authorities had hoisted the red flag on the beaches of Velha, Barcos, Seixal, and Ponta dos Corvos, extending the restrictions to the Barreiro beaches on July 3.
The red flag indicates a total ban on entering the water due to hazardous conditions, serving as an alert to bathers that the area should not be used for swimming.
