Case Studies
This section contains summaries of major spills from 1967 to the present day, looking at the incident, response, our involvement together with selected bibliographies and web links, where available.
CASTILLO DE BELLVER, South Africa, 1983
CASTILLO DE BELLVER was carrying 252,000 tonnes of light crude oil (Murban and Upper Zakum), when it caught fire about 70 miles north-west of Cape Town, South Africa.
Categories: South Africa, Oil, Oil Tanker, Africa
TANIO, France, 1980
On the 7th of March 1980, the tanker TANIO was carrying 26,000 tonnes of No.6 fuel oil, before breaking in two during violent weather conditions off the coast of Brittany, France. As a result approximately 13,500 tonnes of cargo oil was spilled.
Categories: France, Oil, Oil Tanker, Europe, Economic effects
INDEPENDENTA, Bosphorus, Turkey, 1979
On 15th November 1979, Romanian tanker INDEPENDENTA collided with the Greek cargo ship EVRIALI, off Haydarpasa at the entrance to the Bosphorus, in Turkey. A part of the cargo of 93,800 tonnes of Libyan Es Sider crude oil spilled and caught fire.
Categories: Turkey, Oil, Oil Tanker, Asia
ATLANTIC EMPRESS, West Indies, 1979
On 19th of July 1979, two fully loaded VLCCs (very large crude carriers), the ATLANTIC EMPRESS and AEGEAN CAPTAIN, were involved in a collision approximately 10 miles off Tobago during a tropical rainstorm. Both vessels began leaking oil immediately after the collision and both caught fire.
Categories: West Indies, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas
AMOCO CADIZ, France, 1978
The tanker AMOCO CADIZ ran aground off the coast of Brittany on 16th March 1978 following a steering gear failure. Over a period of two weeks the entire cargo of 223,000 tonnes of light Iranian and Arabian crude oil and 4,000 tonnes of bunker fuel was released into heavy seas. Much of the oil quickly formed a viscous water-in-oil emulsion, increasing the volume of pollutant by up to five times. By the end of April oil and emulsion had contaminated 320km of the Brittany coastline, and had extended as far east as the Channel Islands.
Categories: France, Oil, Oil Tanker, Europe, Environmental effects
HAWAIIAN PATRIOT, off Hawaii, 1977
On 23rd February 1977, HAWAIIAN PATRIOT, fully loaded with 99,000 tonnes of light Indonesian crude oil, en route from Indonesia to Honolulu, reported a crack in its hull plating during a storm. This resulted in a leak of oil from the cargo holds approximately 300 miles west of Hawaii.
Categories: United States, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas
ARGO MERCHANT, United States, 1976
ARGO MERCHANT ran aground on Nantucket Shoals, off Massachusetts, USA, on 15th December 1976, and over the next month spilled her entire cargo (28,000 tonnes) of Venezuelan No 6 fuel oil and cutter stock.
Categories: United States, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas, Environmental effects
URQUIOLA, Spain, 1976
On 12th May 1976 the tanker URQUIOLA struck bottom on entering the port of La Coruña and began leaking oil. It was estimated that 100,000 tonnes of Arabian Light crude oil was spilt during this incident.
Categories: Spain, Oil, Oil Tanker, Europe, Dispersants
JAKOB MAERSK, Leixoes, Portugal, 1975
On 29th January 1975 the Danish tanker JAKOB MAERSK struck bottom while manoeuvring onto the berth with the aid of tugs at the port of Leixoes, northern Portugal. It was carrying ~88,000 tonnes of oil, comprising Iranian light crude oil cargo and bunker fuel oil when the incident occurred.
Categories: Portugal, Oil, Oil Tanker, Europe
METULA, Chile, 1974
METULA grounded in the eastern Strait of Magellan, on 9th August 1974. Around 47,000 tonnes of light Arabian crude oil and 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil are estimated to be have been lost.
Categories: Chile, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas, Fate of Oil Spills, Environmental effects