Diesel Slick Stretching 28 Kilometers Reaches Milan’s Darsena

The diesel slick spreading through Milan’s waterways has reached the Darsena, bringing part of the contamination into one of the city’s most recognizable and tourist-filled districts. The slick extends for roughly 28 kilometers along the Naviglio Grande, beginning near Magenta.

In the Navigli area, residents and visitors noticed an odor resembling used oil rather than gasoline. The material that reached the Darsena represents only a small portion of what was discharged into the canal system.

The Lombardy region, Milan’s municipality and metropolitan authority, the civil protection service, and the Villoresi Consortium have been working on the response since overnight. Firefighters also continued containment operations throughout the night.

Near the Canottieri, crews installed orange rolls of absorbent material and deeper barriers. At the Via Conchetta lock, drainage operations were under way and expected to continue throughout the day. The oily slick first appeared in the Naviglio Pavese on the previous afternoon and is believed to be diesel.