Irish authorities monitoring 500-ton oil spill

Irish authorities said Tuesday they are monitoring a major oil spill that is drifting toward the Irish coast — the largest spill in the waters around Ireland in a decade.

The Irish Marine Department said the oil slick was discovered close to where a Russian aircraft carrier was refueling in the Celtic Sea between western Britain and the southern coast of Ireland.

The department said Tuesday it was too early to predict how much of the spill, thought to be around 500 tons (3,750 barrels), will come ashore. The oil slick is about three miles long and three miles wide.

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