Vitoria
On 23 June 1987, the Japanese tanker the Fuyoh Maru, with a damaged helm, collided with the Greek tanker the Vitoria on the river Seine, upstream of Tancarville bridge. The Vitoria went on fire, then a series of explosions shook the ship. The commanding officer, the pilot and four members of the crew were killed in the blasts. The tanker sank on the spot.
Aerial view of the Vitoria (Source: Cedre)
Rescue
and fire fighting operations were given first priority. Then operations
to respond to the, relatively small-scale, pollution were organised. Initial
estimates of the pollution identified around 30 kilometres of oiled
banks along the Caudebec river. Sheen and thicker discontinuous
trails of pollutant formed parallel to the bank. The volume of free
oil floating on the surface was estimated between 15 and 20 tonnes.
This
scattered pollution was difficult to treat as it would have required
unacceptable quantities of dispersants. Furthermore, the lack of
agitation of the water and its low salinity reduced the potential
effectiveness of dispersion. This would therefore bring a risk of
spreading the pollution and of increasing the impact on the river
banks.
No
close protection of the wreck was possible for a number of different
reasons: fuel escaping from the wreck and reappearing at the surface
sometimes as much as 100 metres from where it escaped, current speed…
Name: Vitoria/Fuyoh Maru
Date: 23 June 1987
Location: France
Accident area: Tancarville Bridge, the river Seine
Cause of spill: collision
Type of pollutant: oil
Quantity spilled: 15 tonnes
Ship type: oil tanker
Date built: 1964
Length: 164 m
Width: 20 m
Flag: Greek
A
mobile recovery system was set up on the river Seine. The technique
used was approved during the Polseine 2 experiment. A barge from
the Polmar stockpile in Le Havre operated 24/7, fitted with a skimmer
boom with a deflection system. A second model, from the Dunkirk
stockpile, subsequently took the relay.
A
small boom and pumping device were also deployed on the quay and
proved to be very effective. As for the banks, clean-up operations
began as soon as the contents of the bunkers had been pumped out.
The
remains of the Vitoria were hoisted onto the banks of the Seine,
and were taken to the scrapyard in September 1987.
Last update: July 2007