By Wendy Anders

Late last night, a Costa Rican non-profit environmental group reported an emergency off Brasilito beach in the country’s northern Guanacaste region on the Pacific coast.

The Costa Rican Institute of Oceanology (Instituto de Oceanología) based in Playa Potrero said in a press statement published on their Facebook site that the shrimp boat, the Azoriano, allegedly collided against some rocks in the Catalinas islands, which caused a major rupture in its hull. No official aid or assistance had been sent to scene as of Tuesday afternoon.

The crew was able to swim to shore and were apparently unharmed, said the institute.

Meanwhile, the ship burst into flames as it capsized, sending diesel fumes and thick clouds of black air into the beach towns Brasilito and Conchal located along the Potrero Bay, said the institute.

And diesel is spreading in the coastal waters, causing incalculable environmental damage, they continued.

The ship, which is registered in Puntarenas, continues to sink into the ocean, and is still leaking fuel. The concentration and amount of diesel and oil in the sea is unknown. The institute does not have the equipment to manage such spills.

The institute is asking for assistance from the ship owners, coast guard, fire department, and Costa Rica’s environmental ministry to contain and control the wreck and damage it is producing to the marine and coastal ecosystem.

Environmentalists from the institute said they are investigating the incident to learn why the ship was sailing so late at night and so close to the coast, and whether the ship meets safety and other operating standards.

The group will also attempt to learn why authorities failed to respond to the accident in a timely manner, and said they will monitor if and how the fuel contamination is measured and mitigated by environmental authorities.

The institute’s president, Marie-Cecile Beal, sent a letter last night to Costa Rica’s environmental authorities requesting their urgent intervention.