Amoco Cadiz

The wrecked Amoco Cadiz on March 16, 1978

Lloyd 's Register of Shipping

IMO no. 7336422

The Amoco Cadiz was an oil tanker of the U.S. Amoco Oil Corporation. Driving under the Liberian flag he collided on March 16, 1978, a rock on the coast of Brittany (France) and broke into three parts, which led to the sixth largest oil spill in history. 1.6 million barrels ( 223,000 tonnes) of crude oil came into the sea.

History

The Amoco Cadiz was at the Spanish shipyard Astilleros Españoles SA built in Cádiz. After launching in November 1973, she was placed in June 1975, the U.S. company Amoco in service.

Accident off the coast of Brittany

48.6 - 4.7666666666667Koordinaten: 48 ° 36 '0 "N, 4 ° 46 ' 0 " W

On March 16, 1978, the Amoco Cadiz on the way from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam. While the ship against 9.45 clock in the morning in the traffic separation system before Ouessant ( "rail d' Ouessant " ) import at the western tip of Brittany, the steering gear failed. At this point, westerly wind prevailed at magnitude 7, which still should be increased to hurricane strength later. The captain responded to the rudder failure by the ship stopped and as a signal that the ship was disabled, could raise two black balls. He also put down a warning to other ships by radio.

Since rudder failures were not necessarily viewed as something special, the crew first tried to repair the damage, although the Amoco Cadiz was only 24 km off the coast. Only against 11:20 clock a tug was requested after it had been found that the damage was not to solve the problem ( a broken hydraulic line ) at sea. About an hour later, a German of the tug "Pacific ". However, it was not powerful enough to turn the Amoco Cadiz with the bow into the wind, so that they could be removed with its own drive from the coast. Although a stronger tractor was traveling, but met no longer a time. After the towline to the "Pacific " torn and the attempt to attach another cable on the tanker had failed, the Amoco Cadiz went around 3 km off the coast at anchor. But that brought the ship to a halt not. Then rammed the Amoco Cadiz to 21 clock a rock off the coast of Portsall, a district of Ploudalmézeau, about 24 km north-east of the island of Ouessant. The crew was evacuated by helicopter. During the night the ship broke apart.

Follow

The leaking crude oil polluted waters in the coming weeks and more than 350 kilometers of the coast of North West France. The French Government and the affected communities sued the Amoco company in the United States. After 14 years they received 1.257 billion francs ( 190 million euros ), less than half the sum demanded of them.

Current situation

Meanwhile, the wreck of the Amoco Cadiz is considered eventful dive site off the Breton coast. Only the middle piece and the tail are to dive. The bug is gone after a storm and has not been recovered.

Gallery

Oil spill in March 1978

Anchor of the Amoco Cadiz in Portsall