SEA EMPRESS (United Kingdom, 1996)
On the evening of 15 February 1996, SEA EMPRESS, carrying 130,000 tonnes of Forties Blend North Sea crude oil, ran aground in the entrance to Milford Haven, South West Wales. Although the tanker was refloated within a couple of hours, it sustained serious damage to its starboard and centre tanks, resulting in a massive release of oil. Attempts to bring the vessel under control and to undertake a ship-to-ship transfer operation were thwarted by severe weather and the tanker grounded and refloated several more times over a period of five days. In all, some 72,000 tonnes of crude oil and 370 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were released into the sea between the initial grounding and the final refloating operation.
The SEA EMPRESS cleanup operations were wide-ranging and effective. At sea these included dispersant spraying, mechanical recovery and the use of the protective booms. This, coupled with a high rate of evaporation and natural dispersion, greatly reduced the quantity of oil reaching inshore waters. Some 200km of coastline - much of it in a National Park - was contaminated and a major shoreline cleanup effort had to be mounted, involving mechanical recovery, trenching, beach washing, and the use of dispersants and sorbents. The main recreational beaches were cleaned by the Easter holidays, some two months after the spill, although other areas required longer treatment throughout the summer. A temporary ban was imposed on commercial and recreational fishing in the region and there was concern that tourism, important to the local economy, would be badly affected by the heavily oiled beaches. Several thousand oiled birds washed ashore, leading to a major cleaning and rehabilitation operation.
The UK government appointed an independent committee, the Sea Empress Environmental Evaluation Committee (SEEEC), to assess the damage caused by the spill. It found that although some wildlife populations were damaged (some severely) and a few would take years to recover, the great majority proved resilient and after two years had regained their former abundance. It appears that although a very large amount of oil was spilled in a particularly sensitive area, the impact was far less severe than many people had expected. This was due to a combination of factors - in particular, the time of year, the type of oil, weather conditions at the time of the spill, the cleanup response and the natural resilience and recovery potential of many marine species.
Selected Bibliography
Moore, J. (2006). State of the marine environment in SW Wales, 10 years after the Sea Empress oil spill. Countryside Council for Wales, UK
Sime, H. & Edwards, R. (editors) (1998). The Sea Empress oil spill. Proceedings of a conference held in Cardiff 11-13 February 1998. CIWEM, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, UK
Sea Empress Environmental Evaluation Committee, SEEEC (1998). The environmental impact of the Sea Empress. Stationery Office, London, UK
Marine Pollution Control Unit, MPCU (1996). The Sea Empress incident. A report by the Marine Pollution Control Unit, December 1996. The Coastguard Agency, Southampton, UK
Edwards, R. & White, I. (1999). The Sea Empress Oil Spill: Environmental Impact and Recovery (1999). Proceedings of the International Oil Spill Conference 1999, 7-12 March 1999, Seattle, USA, 97-102, American Petroleum Institute, Washington DC, USA
Links
CEDRE - Case History
www.cedre.fr
The Environmental Impact of the Sea Empress Oil Spill
Text of Sea Empress Environmental Evaluation Committee (SEEEC) summary report
http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/seeec/impact/seaemp.htm
The Sea Empress Incident: Summary of Report
Summary of the Marine Pollution Control Unit's report into the Sea Empress clean-up operation
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/shippingports/shipping/elc/theseaempressincidentsummary5010
The Sea Empress Oil Spill
University of Wales, School of Biological Sciences
http://www.swan.ac.uk/empress/overview.htm
SEA STAR (Gulf of Oman, 1972)
The South Korean tanker SEA STAR was on voyage from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when it collided with the Brazilian tanker HORTA BARBOSA in the Gulf of Oman, off the Indian Ocean on 19th December 1972, and exploded, killing 12 crew members. Both vessels caught fire but while the HORTA BARBOSA was extinguished within a day, the SEA STAR continued to burn. After a series of explosions, the SEA STAR sank 5 days after the collision. The incident resulted in the spillage of approximately 115,000 tonnes of crude oil.
Selected Bibliography
Hooke, N. (1997) Maritime casualties, 1963-1996. 2nd edition, LLP Limited, London
Butler, J.N. (1978). The largest oil spills. Inconsistencies, information gaps. Ocean Industry, October 1978, pp.101-112
SOLAR 1 (Philippines, 2006)
On 11th August 2006, the tanker SOLAR 1 (Philippine flag, 998 GT, 2,129 DWT, built 1989), chartered by Petron Corporation and carrying approximately 2,000 tonnes of intermediate fuel oil, encountered problems in rough seas and sank in the Guimaras Straits, some 10 nautical miles south of Guimaras Island, Republic of the Philippines. Two of the 20 crew members were lost at sea.
A substantial, but at the time unknown, quantity of cargo was spilled when the vessel sank, and small quantities of oil continued to leak from the wreck in ever decreasing amounts. Following an operation to remove the remaining oil from the sunken vessel in March 2007 it was found that virtually the entire cargo had been spilled at the time of the incident.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) led the response and was assisted by Petron Corporation with international support. At-sea response focused on the application of chemical dispersants to the freshly released oil using aircraft and spray arms mounted on tugs and PCG patrol vessels. Attempts were made to protect sensitive resources using conventional booms and a series of improvised booms made from banana leaves and similar material. Shoreline clean-up was conducted for three months, overseen by the PCG and carried out by residents of the affected villages supported by Petron staff and a contractor hired by the shipowner. It was undertaken using predominantly manual methods and primarily focused on sandy beaches on the south coast of Guimaras Island. Collected oily waste was recycled at a cement plant on the island of Mindanao.
About 125km of shoreline were contaminated to varying degrees on the south and south-west coasts of Guimaras Island and a number of small islets off the south-east coast. This included approximiately 500 hectares of mangroves, which are particularly vulnerable to the smothering effects of oil. The spill also had a major impact on the small-scale fisheries on Guimaras Island. A number of fishpond operators, seaweed farmers and tourist businesses also suffered losses.
The SOLAR 1 was the first incident involving the Small Tanker Oil Pollution Indemnification Agreement (STOPIA 2006), a voluntary agreement among the P&I Clubs to increase the limitation amount applicable to a vessel under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention to 20 million SDR for all ships below 29,548 GT (the ‘small ship minimum’ under ’92 CLC is 4.51 million SDR for ships less than 5,000 GT).
Selected Bibliography
Parker, H., Moller, T. (2008). Sunken Oil and the Removal of Oil from Sunken Wrecks. Paper presented at: 20th Triennial International Oil Spill Conference, Savannah, Georgia, May 4-8, 2008
Yender, R.; Lloyd, A. (2008). Impacts and response challenges of the tanker SOLAR 1 oil spill, Guimaras, Philippines: Observations of international advisors. Paper presented at: 20th Triennial International Oil Spill Conference, Savannah, Georgia, May 4-8, 2008
Links
CEDRE - Case History
www.cedre.fr
International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds Annual Report 2007 (pp.106-115)
http://www.iopcfund.org/npdf/AR07_E.pdf