Oil Dumped Off Cornwall - Rancid Palm Oil That Is . . .

In the past few days, Shiptalk reports:

A mystery vessel is being accused of dumping rancid palm oil products off the UK coast, and act which has led to pollution of beaches – and also the death of at least one dog in Cornwall.

BBC News report here:

The clear-up of a substance on Cornish beaches has begun after it was found to be palm oil, a contractor says.
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Cory Environmental, which works for Cornwall Council, said it was removing the substance after it was identified as "safe to touch".

Public Health England (PHE) said the substance was identified as a "non-harmful oil-based product".

Not "dog safe" though, it appears.

Back in February 2013, sea birds reportedly were coated with palm oil:

A mysterious sticky substance covering more than 100 birds which washed up on the coast of southern England could be palm oil dumped in the sea.
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Many were found on the shores of Chesil Cove in Dorset, but others appeared up to 200 miles away in Cornwall.
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Joshi added: "If the birds get to this shoreline, they're exhausted, they're unable to fly, they can't get back into the water so their chances of survival are near to minimal.

Earlier this year, in October, according to this report, a previous (2012) palm oil dumping vessel was both identified and fined:

A Singaporean-registered Maersk Group tanker was found guilty and fined £22,500 yesterday for dumping a mixture of palm oil and tank cleaning fluid within 12 miles of Land’s End last year - leaving a slick 20 miles long.

The unique trial at Truro Magistrates Court has been highlighted as the first time satellite footage has been used by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the prosecution of a company for dumping waste illegally in the UK.

The timing is interesting, but so is the repetition of "palm oil" incidents in the area even given Cornwall's exposed position to the major sea lanes in the area.

Who knew there was so much palm oil dumping going on?