Red Sea oil spill kept quiet

With the BP oil catastrophe captivating much of the world’s attention, a spill off the coast of Egypt’s Red Sea has seemingly slipped under the radar.

In mid-June, oil began leaking into the water from an offshore oil platform north of Hurghada, one of Egypt’s top tourist destinations, according to The Associated Press.

The Egyptian government has remained tight-lipped about the spill, claiming that it was contained within days after it began around June 16.

However, Ahmed el-Droubi—a biologist with the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association, the main entity drawing attention to the spill—received news that the oil began leaking again the following Monday (June 21), and noted that oil-covered sea turtles and birds could already be seen along the coast.

The leak is reportedly from a platform operated by Petrogulf Misr, a state-run company. Some say the oil has already reached 100 miles of coastline.