Universe Leader
The incident
On
22 October 1974, the Liberian tanker the Universe Leader was unloading
her cargo at Bantry Bay oil terminal. Nobody noticed that a gate,
situated 9 metres underwater, was open. It not until two hours later
that someone became aware of the situation. During that time, 2,600
tonnes of Kuwait crude were spilled at sea.
Response
Response operations involved 200 people. 140 tonnes of dispersants
were sprayed on the oil. The port of Gerahie was protected by floating
booms. 130 tonnes of oil was contained by the booms and then pumped
to the shore. A skimmer was also used by the response team. On the
shoreline, sorbents (straw, sawdust, heath-peat) were widely used.
However it was only possible to recover the straw.
Impact
The oil polluted over 30 km of coastline. In these areas, the vegetation
and the lichen were seriously damaged. There was fear for the fauna
living there, however biological damage, particularly to fish, was
relatively low.
Changes
Following the incident, the Irish government took measures to limit
the number of tankers allowed in the harbour at the same time to
five.
Name: Universe Leader
Date: 22 October 1974
Location: Ireland
Accident area: Bantry Bay
Cause of spill: human error
Quantity transported: 85,000 tonnes
Type of pollutant: Kuwait crude oil
Quantity spilled: 2,600 tonnes
Ship type: oil tanker
Date built: 1956
Source:
- IFP, Banques de données sur les accidents de navire ayant provoqué un déversement de pétrole en mer supérieur à 500 tonnes, 1970-1974, Réf. 26 704, Janvier 1979
Last update: June 2011