Amazzone: what has changed
Technical
advances
The
pollution created by the Amazzone spill was dispersed, even if on
certain sites the configuration and exposition could have made for
widespread pollution. This accident had a considerable impact on
the coastline, considering the quantity of oil spilled.
The extreme weather conditions for the first few days hindered pollution
response measures. The fragmentation at sea of the cooled oil slicks
was provoked, and facilitated the dispersion of small oil "parcels"
of oil over 450 km of coastline. The viscosity of the Amazzone's
oil and the bad weather delaying and hindering response at sea,
contributed to an increase in the onshore pollution. Clean-up operations
were complicated, due to the extent of the pollution and the diverse
nature of the littoral. These conditions meant that response teams
had to apply many varied response means.
Science
has progressed in terms of the knowledge of the chemical behaviour
of different oils. Having abandonned the idea of pumping at sea,
of treating with chemical dispersants and of trawling, the scientists
had to come up with onshore means. Cedre assisted the communities
in their choice of recovery and selective treatment means. Manual
and mechanical methods were proposed by experts, allowing the oiled
seaweed to be collected and eliminated. An in situ pebble clean-up
machine was used for the first time, allowing the pebbles to be
put back in their original environment. The strip of pebbles in
the Bay of Audierne was thus preserved. Adapted evacuation techniques
(helicopters, flat-bottomed barges) were necessary in problematic
situations, for sites that were difficult to access.
No
major changes
This
disaster, the subject of a considerable amount of media coverage,
marked the history of pollution in Brittany. It forced pollution
response methods to evolve and highlighted the importance of an
oil spill information network. Lessons learned from the incident
resulted in a valuable contribution to the revision of Finsitère's
Polmar Land Plan, set up the previous year. It was clear that there
was a real need to develop a pollution response stockpile and the
improve on land response strategies. Research projects were undertaken
on the problems linked to waste evacuation means especially in difficult
access zones.
However
no changes were made in terms of prevention and general policies
on the risks posed by passing ships. This may be because, 10 years
on, the memory of the somewhat more catastrophic Amoco Cadiz spill
was still too fresh in people's minds for a 2000 tonne pollution
incident to generate any major initiatives.
Last update: April 2006