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.
FLINTERSTAR, Belgium, 2015
In the early hours of the morning of 6th October, while en route to Bilbao with a cargo of steel plates, the 6,577 GT general cargo ship FLINTERSTAR was involved in a collision with the 136,685 GT LNG carrier AL ORAIQ approximately six nautical miles off the coast of Zeebrugge, Belgium.
Categories: Belgium, General Cargo ship, Europe
SILVER, Morocco, 2013
On 23rd December 2013, after encountering heavy weather, the chemical and product tanker SILVER grounded on a sandbank off the coast of Tan-Tan in South Morocco while entering the port of El Ouatia. The vessel was carrying 4,940 tonnes of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) 380 as cargo, 190 tonnes of HFO 380 as bunker fuel and 24 tonnes of Marine Gas Oil (MGO).
Categories: Morocco, Oil, Product Tanker, Africa
ST THOMAS DE AQUINAS, Philippines, 2013
On 16th August 2013, RORO passenger vessel ST THOMAS DE AQUINAS collided with containership SULPICIO EXPRESS 7 on approach to port in Cebu, Philippines. The STA sank within 15 minutes, settling in 40m of water. The incident resulted in the loss of over 100 lives of the 813 passengers and crew on board STA at the time.
Categories: Philippines, Oil, RORO, Asia
STOLT VALOR, off the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2012
On 15th March 2012, STOLT VALOR carrying 13,000 tonnes of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) and 1,300 tonnes of isobutylaldehyde (IBAL) as well as 430 tonnes of Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO 380) as bunkers, suffered an explosion in international waters off Ras Tanura, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Categories: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HNS, Chemical Tanker
ALFA 1, Greece, 2012
On 5th March 2012, the Greek tanker ALFA I (1,648 GT; built 1972) made contact with a submerged wreck in Elefsis Bay, Greece.
Categories: Greece, Oil, Oil Tanker, Europe, Compensation
TK BREMEN, France, 2011
On 16th December 2011, the general cargo ship TK BREMEN dragged anchor whilst in ballast under stormy conditions and sought shelter outside the port of Lorient. The vessel subsequently ran aground on the beach of Kerminihy, Erdeven, France resulting in a spillage of an estimated 70 tonnes of Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO) 180.
Categories: France, Oil, Bulk Carrier, Europe, Response Techniques
RENA, New Zealand, 2011
On 5th October 2011, containership RENA ran aground on Astrolabe Reef, 12nm offshore from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The vessel was en-route from Napier to Tauranga carrying 1,368 containers, 11 of which contained dangerous goods. The vessel had approximately 1,700 MT of IFO 380 bunker fuel and 61 MT diesel oil onboard.
Categories: New Zealand, HNS, Other, Container Ship, Oceania
GOLDEN TRADER, Denmark, 2011
On 10th September 2011, the bulk carrier GOLDEN TRADER collided with the fishing vessel VIDAR approximately twenty nautical miles off the western coast of mainland Denmark resulting in the spillage of approximately 205 tonnes of intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO 180).
Categories: Denmark, Oil, Bulk Carrier, Europe
OLIVA, Tristan da Cunha, 2011
In the early hours of 16th March 2011, bulk carrier OLIVA while on transit from Brazil to Singapore grounded on Nightingale Island, which is part of the Tristan da Cunha Island group in the South Atlantic.
Categories: United Kingdom, Oil, Bulk Carrier, Africa, Environmental effects
GDANSK, Venezuela, 2011
On 28th January 2011, the bulk carrier GDANSK was loaded with 35,100 MT of iron ore when she ran aground outside Ferrominera Port, Puerto Ordaz, on the Orinoco River in Venezuela. As a result of the grounding an unknown quantity of fuel oil was lost from the vessel.
Categories: Venezuela, Oil, Bulk Carrier, Americas