Khark 5
The accident
On
19 December 1989, the Iranian oil tanker Khark 5, en route from
Kharg Island to Rotterdam, was caught in a storm and suffered
an explosion off the coast of Safi, 400 miles north of the Canary
Islands. Four tanks were damaged causing a continuous spill of
70,000 tonnes of Iranian crude oil, a quarter of the vessel's
cargo. Over about 12 days, leaks estimated at 200 t/h were reported.
The
explosion was followed by a fire which was quickly controlled.
The vessel was then towed by a Smit Tak tug to move it away from
the Moroccan coast. For several weeks, a port of refuge or sheltered
area was sought in order to carry out a lightering operation.
However, no country gave the vessel permission to approch its
coast and so the oil continued to flow at sea. As with the Tanio,
this incident once again highlighted the issue of ports and zones
of refuge.
The
Moroccan government was poorly prepared to face an accidental
oil spill and was given assistance by international experts.
Response operations
In
total, the cargo carried by Khark 5 consisted of 225,000 tonnes
of Iranian crude oil. Aromatic petroleum products made up a third
of this cargo. This high proportion of aromatics favoured the
evaporation of the oil into the atmosphere and its dispersion
in the water mass in the form of micelles, thus avoiding heavy
ecological impact.
Oil
slick dispersal, cleaning and recovery operations required the
mobilization of considerable human and material resources. Daily
flights over the slick were carried out to observe its movement
toward the Moroccan and Spanish coasts (the Canary Islands). Treatment
of the slicks was carried out using dispersants but was soon stopped
as it proved ineffective due to the oil not forming a sufficiently
dense and continuous slick. No arrivals of oil on the Moroccan
coast were reported, nor were any beachings of dead animals.
Name: Khark 5
Date: 19 December 1989
Location: Spain
Accident area: 400 miles north of Las Palmas, the Canary Islands
Ship type: oil tanker
Flag: Iranian
Type of pollutant: Iranian heavy crude oil
Quantity transported: 200,000 tonnes
Quantity spilled: 70,000 tonnes
Cause of spill: explosion
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Last update: July 2007