Product Code Database
Amoco Cadiz was an oil tanker owned by Amoco and transporting crude oil for Shell Oil. Operating under the flag, she ran aground on 16 March 1978 on Portsall, from the coast of Brittany, France. Ultimately she split in three and sank, resulting in the largest oil spill of its kind to that date.
Amoco Cadiz ran aground for the first time at 9:04 pm. (1980). 9780233971476, André Deutsch. ISBN 9780233971476 She rode a high wave over a spire of rock which she then was impaled on. The rock cut through the plating of her bottom and thrust into the network of piping and machinery of the pump room as well as rupturing the rear wall of number-four cargo tank. The engine room flooded. She rolled and ground on the rock for about five minutes until another large wave lifted her off and she continued her southwesterly drift, pulling the Pacific after her.
The ship then drifted through the Portsall Rocks and at 9:30 pm she ran aground for the second time, on the Men Goulven rock from the shore. She hit the reef stern first and the bottom under the engine room was opened. She pivoted round to the port and stopped with her bow pointing toward land. She came to rest with her stern impaled on a rock about 12 metres under the surface and her bow on another six to seven metres deep. Between these rocks the depth was 25 to 30 metres. The Pacific had increased her towing speed, but shortly after 10:00 pm the second tow broke.
After the second grounding, the waves broke Amoco Cadiz into two parts held together by distorted metal on the port side. (1980). 9780233971476, André Deutsch. ISBN 9780233971476 On 24 March the two parts were completely torn apart and the rear section swung 90 degrees around from pointing southwest to southeast. On 25 March she was close to breaking apart again, and by 28 March the wreckage was further moved around by the tides and waves.
By 29 March she had broken into three separate pieces and it was decided to destroy her with dropped from three Super Frelon helicopters. The Navy dropped twelve Mark 56 anti-submarine grenades, each containing of high explosives set to go off under water, and she sank 15 minutes later. Detonation of the charges was visible as huge water fountains and shook the ground ashore more than a mile away. Alt URL
Amoco Cadiz contained 1,604,500 barrels (219,797 tons) of light crude oil from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia and Kharg Island, Iran. Severe weather resulted in the complete breakup of the ship before any oil could be pumped out of the wreck, resulting in her entire cargo of crude oil (belonging to Shell) and 4,000 tons of fuel oil being spilled into the sea. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that the total oil spill amounted to 220,880 tonnes of oil.
In 1992, in a decision by the United States courts of appeals, the French plaintiffs were entitled to compound prejudgment interest at a rate of 11.9% per annum from January 1, 1980, implying a multiplier of 3.3162 in the decision named In the Matter of OIL SPILL BY THE AMOCO CADIZ OFF THE COAST OF FRANCE ON MARCH 16, 1978 Amoco was eventually forced to pay $230 million (equivalent to $m in ).
The wreck is now frequently visited by leisure divers.
|
|
