Amoco Cadiz
On
16 March 1978, the oil tanker the Amoco Cadiz, transporting 227,000
tonnes of crude oil, suffered a failure of her steering mechanism,
and despite the efforts of the crew of a German tug boat and two
unsuccessful towing attempts, ran aground on Portsall Rocks, on
the Breton coast. The entire cargo spilled out as the breakers split
the vessel in two, progressively polluting 360 km of shoreline from
Brest to Saint Brieuc.
Wreck of the Amoco Cadiz at Portsall. Photo: J. Le Fevre
This
was the largest oil spill caused by a tanker grounding ever registered
in the world. The consequences of this accident were significant,
and it caused the French Government to revise its oil response
plan (the Polmar Plan), to acquire equipment stocks (Polmar stocks),
to impose traffic lanes in the Channel and to create Cedre.
The French Government, along with the local communities affected,
prosecuted the Amoco company in the United States. After 14 years
of complex proceedings, they eventually obtained 1,257 million
francs (190 million euros), less than half of the claimed amount.
The accident
On the morning of 16 March 1978, the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz, en route
from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam with 227,000 tonnes of crude
oil, drifted towards the Breton coast in a heavy storm after a
failure of her steering system. A German tug boat attempted to
assist the tanker, however the situation was difficult and the
first towrope, thrown at 1:30 am, broke three hours later. Despite
all the efforts made by the crews of both ships, the Amoco Cadiz
ran aground at 10 pm near the small port of Portsall. Many tanks
were broken in the accident and the first oil slicks quickly reached
the coast. The biggest oil slick ever seen due to a stranded tanker
had just begun.
Within two weeks, the entire cargo had spilled out into the sea and,
dragged by the winds and currents, polluted more than 300 km of
coast among the most beautiful and natural of Europe. Seething
with rage, inhabitants of damaged communities started a desperate
fight against this disaster. The French media diffused apocalyptic
images of an immense oil slick which shocked the nation.
Drift of the Amoco Cadiz.
Not an isolated incident
This record-breaking oil slick is not an isolated incident. On
18 March 1967 the Torrey Canyon grounding off Lands End (Cornwall, England) already constituted
a large-scale warning. The Breton shoreline was affected by oil
slicks drifting in the Channel; first in April between Morlaix
and Plouescat (in the northwest) and then mid-May 1907 in the
bays of Douarnenez and Audierne (in the southwest). On 24 January
1976, the grounding of the VLCC Olympic
Bravery, fortunately empty, was a second warning, causing
a spill of 1,200 tonnes of bunkers.
Name: Amoco Cadiz
Date: 16 March 1978
Location: France
Accident area: Portsall, North Finistère
Cause of spill: damage to ship
Quantity transported: 227,000 tonnes
Type of pollutant: crude oil
Quantity spilled: 227,000 tonnes
Ship type: oil tanker
Date built: 1974
Length: 334 m
Width: 51 m
Flag: Liberian
On 16 October, a third incident occurred with the shipwrecking of the Boehlen off the shore of the island of Sein, which led to a spill of 7,000 tonnes of its cargo of heavy Venezuelan crude. The Amoco Cadiz disaster was by no means the last oil spill to hit Brittany. On 28 April 1979, the bulk carrier Gino loaded with heavy Boscan fuel (higher density than water) sank off Ushant Island after a collision. On 7 March 1980, the Madagascan oil tanker the Tanio spilt in two during a storm off Batz Island, and her stern sank with 6,000 tonnes of heavy fuel. On 31 January 1988, one of the tanks of the Italian oil tanker the Amazzone lost 2,100 tonnes of crude oil in a storm off Penmarc’h. This series of oil spills led to a desire to change the course of such events in Brittany, and to see the polluters pay for the damage they had caused.
Oil spills off the Breton coast before 1990. (click to enlarge)
See also
Links
Last update: 26/04/11