An oil slick from a Syrian power plant that was threatening Cyprus seems to be moving away from the island’s eastern shores but still poses a threat.

The slick is currently drifting in a northerly direction 12km off the coast of the Karpaz peninsula.

There are currently five tugboats operating in the area and a number of barriers have been installed to contain the oil from reaching the coast.

Two ships dispatched from Turkey to collect the waste are expected to reach the area by Friday, while coast guard vessels and drones are monitoring the oil spill from sea and air.

The ‘Nene Hatun’ and Seyit Onbaşı’ vessels have 1000m3 and 400m3 waste collecting capacity respectively.

The head of the Crisis and Disaster Management Desk Hüseyin Amcaoğlu who spoke to the BRT said that the main slick was 18km off the coast and that tugboats will be surveying the area to assess the extent of the pollution caused.

Amcaoğlu said that an initial assessment carried by another vessel said that no sign of the oil was detected along the shoreline.