A 16-metre-long vessel sank during the night from Sunday to Monday in the Port of Fontvieille, causing a leak of an estimated 50 litres of fuel.
The wooden boat, built in 1952, had been rebuilt and there was no immediate explanation of how it sank in seven metres of water, leaving only a trace of oil pollution on the surface. Its absence from its moorings was discovered by a routine port patrol.
The Monaco Ports Operating Company (SEPM) began containment operations to prevent pollution spreading to the open sea that are expected to continue into Wednesday, November 3.
On October 27 an exercise to deal with such a contingency was held in Port Hercule.
FILE PHOTO: Fontvieille Harbour Ian Brodie