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.
GOLDEN RAY, United States, 2019
On 8th September 2019, the roll on, roll off vessel GOLDEN RAY developed a list and was grounded at the mouth of the Brunswick River, Georgia, while leaving the Port of Brunswick.
Categories: United States, Oil, Non Tanker, RORO, Americas
AMADEO 1, Chile, 2014
On 18th August 2014, the Ro-Ro ferry AMADEO 1 (GT 9,737) en route from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, grounded in Kirke Canal, 40 NM south west of Puerto Natales, in southern Patagonia, Chile.
Categories: Chile, Oil, Non Tanker, RORO, Americas
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
EAGLE OTOME, United States, 2010
On 23rd January 2010, two barges and their towing vessel DIXIE VENGENCE, collided with the Singapore flagged oil tanker EAGLE OTOME, in the Sabine Neches waterway in Port Arthur, Texas. The collision resulted in a hole near the No. 1 starboard cargo tank of EAGLE OTOME and a spillage of an estimated 1,440 MT of light crude oil cargo.
Categories: United States, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas
COSCO BUSAN, USA, 2007
Whilst leaving the port of San Francisco in thick fog on 7th November 2007, laden container vessel COSCO BUSAN allided with a pier of the Oakland Bay Bridge causing a tear in the vessel’s hull in the way of two bunker tanks and the discharge of ~200 tonnes of bunker fuel.
Categories: United States, Oil, Container Ship, Americas
SELENDANG AYU, United States, 2004
On 7th December 2004, the Malysian bulk carrier SELENDANG AYU suffered engine failure whilst en-route from Seattle, USA to Xiamen, the People's Republic of China, and ran aground off Skan Bay in Unalaska Island, Alaska. Shortly after the grounding, the vessel broke in two as a result of the severe weather.
Categories: United States, Oil, Bulk Carrier, Americas
EXXON VALDEZ, Alaska, United States, 1989
EXXON VALDEZ grounded on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on 24th March 1989. About 37,000 tonnes of Alaska North Slope crude escaped into the Sound and spread widely.
Categories: United States, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas
ODYSSEY, off Canada, 1988
On 10th November 1988, the Liberian tanker ODYSSEY, almost fully loaded with a cargo of 132,157 tonnes of North Sea Brent crude oil, broke into two and sank in heavy weather in the North Atlantic 700 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia while on voyage from Sullom Voe, Shetland Islands to Come by Chance, Newfoundland. Fire started on the stern section as it sank and the surrounding oil caught fire.
Categories: Canada, Oil, Oil Tanker, Americas
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
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