Amoco Cadiz oil spill
The Amoco Cadiz oil spill occurred on March 16, 1978, when the tanker ran aground off the coast of Brittany, France, leading to one of the largest oil spills in history. The vessel, owned by Standard Oil of Indiana and crewed by Italians, was transporting 223,000 tons of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam when it experienced a steering failure. Within hours, the ship leaked approximately 68.7 million gallons of oil, severely impacting marine life and the local economy, particularly the fishing and tourism industries. The spill covered significant ocean areas, stretching 129 kilometers by 29 kilometers, and resulted in the death of thousands of fish and seabirds.
In response, the French government launched a large-scale cleanup operation, deploying military personnel, civilians, and numerous boats and vehicles. Despite substantial efforts, only a small fraction of the collected debris was actual oil; most was composed of sand, rock, and seaweed. While the cleanup operation was deemed a success, it faced criticism for its initial slow response. Ultimately, natural oceanic conditions, such as deep water and fast currents, played a significant role in dispersing the spilled oil. The event remains a critical lesson in maritime safety and environmental management.
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Amoco Cadiz oil spill
THE EVENT: Grounding of the tanker Amoco Cadiz off the coast of Brittany, France, resulting in the spilling of its cargo of crude oil into the sea
DATE: March 16, 1978
The Amoco Cadiz oil spill resulted in the deaths of thousands of fish and seabirds and the pollution of coastal waters important to France for the harvest of marine life and for the tourism industry.
The four-year-old very large crude carrier (VLCC) Amoco Cadiz had been built in Spain. At 331 meters (1,086 feet) long and 68.6 meters (225 feet) wide, and with a draft of 19.8 meters (65 feet), it was one of the largest ships afloat. The vessel was American owned (by Standard Oil of Indiana), Liberian flagged, and crewed by Italians.
The Amoco Cadiz was in the final stages of its voyage from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam in the Netherlands with 223,000 tons of mixed Kuwaiti and Iraqi crude oil. The vessel was northbound along the coast of Brittany, France, at about 10:00 A.M.when a steering failure occurred. The ship was about 24 kilometers (15 miles) off the French coast. Within two hours, the tugboat Pacific was alongside the Amoco Cadiz connecting a towline. The tug ran out about 914 meters (3,000 feet) of steel towing wire in an attempt to keep the large tanker off the rocks, but after only two hours of towing, the towline broke. During this time, shipboard engineers had attempted to fix the tanker’s damaged rudder, but the system was beyond repair. The ship was 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) off the coast of France.
By 9:00 P.M., the tug had reattached a towline to the stern of the Amoco Cadiz, but shortly thereafter the large tanker grounded on the Roches de Portsall. It immediately began leaking its cargo of over the coast of Brittany. This area accounts for almost 40 percent of the marine life and 7 percent of the oysters harvested in France. Within three days, the oil slick covered almost 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the north of the ship and 32 kilometers (20 miles) to the south. The French government implemented its oil-spill cleanup plan. Within six days of the spill, all of the vessel’s tanks were open to the sea, and the slick measured 129 kilometers (80 miles) by 29 kilometers (18 miles). The French were unable to pump oil off the grounded vessel because of both poor weather and poor charts of the area.
Ten days after the ship grounded, the highest tide of the period occurred, and beach cleaning began in earnest. By the beginning of April, the French had mustered almost six thousand military personnel, three thousand civilians, twenty-eight boats, and more than one thousand vehicles for the cleanup operation. By the end of May, 206,000 tons of material had been cleaned off the shores of Brittany. Only 25,000 tons of this was actually oil—the rest was sand, rock, seaweed, and other plant life. Those involved in rescue efforts found some ten thousand dead fish and twenty-two thousand dead seabirds.
The cleanup effort was declared a success even though many criticized the French government for a slow response and fragmented efforts. The bulk of the oil cleanup was attributed to the sea itself. The relatively deep water and fast current along the shore helped the sea to disperse and dissipate the 223,000 tons of crude oil that had spilled into it over a six-day period.
Bibliography
Ahmed, Zahra. "The Gruesome Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill Incident." Marine Insight, 8 Apr. 2024, www.marineinsight.com/case-studies/the-gruesome-amoco-cadiz-oil-spill-incident/. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Clark, R. B. Marine Pollution. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Fairhall, David, and Philip Jordan. The Wreck of the Amoco Cadiz. New York: Stein and Day, 1980.
Fingas, Merv. The Basics of Oil Spill Cleanup. 2d ed. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, 2001.