Israeli 2014 oil spill caused NIS 281 million of damage

A 2014 oil spill by a state-run company that flooded an Israeli nature reserve caused NIS 281 million ($76 million) worth of damage, the Environmental Protection Ministry said on Wednesday.

In what was described as the worst ecological disaster in Israel’s history, a portion of the Trans-Israel pipeline that runs from Israel’s Mediterranean coast to Eilat exploded, spilling five million liters of crude oil into the Evrona nature reserve. The explosion happened as workers labored to move the pipe in order to accommodate the construction of a new international airport being built just north of Israel’s southernmost city.

The ministry sent its estimate to a mediator for its case against the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC), a major oil distributor in Israel, Reuters reports.