Case Studies

INDEPENDENTA, Bosphorus, Turkey, 1979

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

Read more

ATLANTIC EMPRESS, West Indies, 1979

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

Read more

AMOCO CADIZ, France, 1978

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

Read more

HAWAIIAN PATRIOT, off Hawaii, 1977

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

Read more

ARGO MERCHANT, United States, 1976

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

Read more

URQUIOLA, Spain, 1976

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

Read more

JAKOB MAERSK, Leixoes, Portugal, 1975

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

Read more

METULA, Chile, 1974

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

Read more

SEA STAR, Gulf of Oman, 1972

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 on 19th December 1972.

Categories: Oman, Oil, Oil Tanker, Asia

Read more

TORREY CANYON, United Kingdom, 1967

TORREY CANYON, United Kingdom, 1967

TORREY CANYON ran aground on Pollard Rock on the Seven Stones Reef, near Lands End, Cornwall on 18th March 1967. Thousands of tonnes of oil were soon spilling from the stricken vessel's ruptured tanks and during the next 12 days the entire cargo of approximately 119,000 tonnes of Kuwait crude oil was lost.

Categories: United Kingdom, Oil, Oil Tanker, Europe, Environmental effects

Read more

Search filters
You are currently offline. Some pages or content may fail to load.