Large oil slick found on the IJ in Amsterdam

A large oil slick has been floating on the IJ in Amsterdam since Saturday evening, AT5 reports. Fishermen told AT5 the oil slick had a strong odor.

The first reports came in around 11 p.m. on Saturday. "We were fishing at Muziekgebouw and it smelled terribly of diesel and a thick layer of oil," a fisherman told AT5. "Visible, but difficult to photograph."

The Rijkswaterstaat has hired a specialized company to contain the oil slick using a screen, in order to stop it from spreading. The oil will probably be removed sometime on Sunday, according to AT5.

Bystanders told AT5 they believed the oil came from a passing cruise ship, but this has not been officially confirmed. "It regularly happens that ships lose oil, for example due to an accident or work in the port," according to the Rijkswaterstaat, which is responsible for cleaning up and mitigating the consequences of oil spills.

"There's a gigantic vapor coming from it," another fisherman told AT5. "[It] immediately catches your breath."