Aegean Sea
On 3 December 1992, the Greek ore carrier the Aegean Sea was entering
the harbour of La Coruna at 5 am, as a heavy storm was brewing,
when she was steered off course and ran aground. She broke in two
and burst into flames. The bow sank some fifty metres deep and the
stern remained visible.
Apart
from a few hundred cubic metres which were successfully pumped out
of the stern, the whole cargo spilled out. However a large part
burnt in the fire or was dispersed in the sea. In order to fight
pollution, large clean-up operations were set up both on and off
shore. Floating booms were used to collect some 5,000 m³ of oil/water
mix, which was then treated. Operations also involved manual cleaning
of the shoreline, in which some 1,200 m³ of sand and polluted debris
were collected and then burnt.
More
than 300 km of shoreline was affected, in the area hit a decade
earlier by the Urquiola spill. This zone is important to the fishing
industry and is particularly abundant in shellfish. There are numerous
salmon and turbot farms, bivalve purification facilities and mussel
cultivation areas. In an attempt to prevent the consumption of products
from the area affected by the spill, regional authorities (la Conselleria
de Pesca, Marisqueo e Acuicultura de la Xunta de Galicia) introduced
a ban on fishing and on the sale of all seafood from the area.
As the situation returned to normal, the various bans in the affected
area were gradually lifted between January and September 1993 and
despite a certain amount of reluctance on the consumers' behalf
about the quality of the produce, the industry gradually returned
to normal. However, this spill affected more than 4,000 fishermen,
shellfish harvesters and fish farmers. Media coverage also had a
negative impact on tourism and a noticeable decrease in information
queries and bookings was observed.
A claims office was opened in La Coruna shortly after the incident
by the IOPC Fund (International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund)
and the Spanish Government. It received more than 900 compensation
claims from individuals, firms and cooperatives, totalling nearly
300 million euros. Having little confidence in the possibility of
amicable agreements, most claimants not only opened discussion with
the claims office, but also entered into legal proceedings. This
slowed down the compensation process and the Spanish Government
had to advance compensations to most fishermen and shellfish harvesters
in 1993. A first judgement took place in 1996, followed by an appeal
judgement in 1997.
The
captain and the harbour master were pronounced jointly responsible
for the accident. As a result, the owner of the vessel (along with
the IOPC Fund) and the Spanish Government (the harbour master's
employer) were equally liable. Implementing the decision proved
complex and in 1997 the Government had to provide credit facilities
for the affected parties.
The
majority of the tourism, fishing and fish farming claims were gradually
settled. But the shellfish harvesters' claims remained litigious.
In 2000, the shipowner, his insurer, the IOPC Fund, the Government
and the Galician authorities reached an agreement for the payment
of a quarter of the remaining 320 million euros claimed. Similarly
to the Haven case (Italy), a decree-law had to be passed by the
Spanish Parliament before the final agreement was signed on 30 October
2002. The Spanish Government was bound by this agreement to take
full responsibility for any remaining claims.
Pumping remaining oil out of the stern of the vessel after the fire.
Source: Cedre
Name: Aegean Sea
Date: 3 December 1992
Location: Spain
Accident area: La Coruna, Galicia
Cause of spill: grounding
Quantity transported: 79,000 tonnes
Type of pollutant: light crude oil
Quantity spilled: 67,000 tonnes
Ship type: oil-ore carrier
Date built: 1973
Length: 261.02 m
Width: 40.67 m
Flag: Greek
Oil from the Aegan Sea washed up on a beach.Source: Cedre
Pumping operation. Source: CedreSee also
Last update: April 2006