Over 150,000 litres of diesel fuel spills in the Bahamas near white sand beaches of Great Exuma

euronews.com:

A vessel delivering diesel to the Bahamas resort island of Great Exuma spilled around 35,000 gallons (over 159,000 litres) of the fuel early on Wednesday, according to the country's acting prime minister.

"I am ... advised that all of the agencies of government are deployed to mitigate the matter," said Chester Cooper, who also represents the district of Exuma in parliament, adding that the fuel was destined for Bahamas Power and Light.

"We are happy that it is contained or appears to be contained," he said.

The Minister Of Works & Utilities, The Hon. Alfred Sears, Q.C., along with Mr. Pedro Rolle, Chairman of BPL, and Mr. Shevonn Cambridge, CEO of BPL have arrived in Exuma with other Cabinet Ministers and Environmental Engineers to assess the oil spill to a tune of 30,000 gallons. pic.twitter.com/aSLSlcX8Il

Exuma is famed for its white sand beaches and crystal-blue waters, as well as beaches where tourists can swim with pigs.

Bahamas-based Sun Oil said in a statement that crew members on board a vessel called the MT Arabian discovered a leak at 4:00 am while discharging the fuel, adding that the crew later deployed absorbent pads and containment buoys.

"Fuel recovery procedures remain ongoing, led by owners of the MT Arabian," Sun Oil said, adding that its leadership team had traveled to Exuma to help respond to the situation.

Oil spills are incredibly damaging and unfortunately they are very common throughout the world. In US waters alone there are thousands of oils spills every year. While many of the spills that occur are small they can still cause major damage, especially in sensitive environments like beaches.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there are two main ways an oil spill harms