The Amoco Cadiz oil spill is considered one of the worst marine disasters in human history. The tanker ran aground, spilling more than 220,000 tons of oil, polluting more than 300 kilometres of the European coastline, and causing the largest loss of marine life.

But how did the Amoco Cadiz accident happen, and what were its effects?

The Amoco Cadiz, which belongs to Amoco Transport, is a supertanker flying the Liberian flag.

Launched in 1974, it is 334 meters long, 51 meters wide, and 19.8 meters deep. She can cruise at 15 knots and accommodate 44 crew members.

However, the career of this giant tanker was not long.

Amoco Cadiz Ran Aground

In the early morning of March 16, 1978, the tanker carried about 220,880 tons of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to Europe. Strong winds, huge waves and rough seas swept it.

After a huge wave hit the tanker, it suddenly tried to turn to avoid another ship, causing the rudder to fail.

The captain tried to repair it by shutting down the engine and connecting a tugboat, but after several failed attempts to stabilize the tanker, the tanker still drifted towards the shore.

Bad weather worsened the situation, and the tanker soon ran aground on the Portsard Rocks off the coast of Brittany, France.

The tanker suffered serious damage, and the waves broke it in two in the following days. By the end of March, it had broken into three pieces. Due to the continued bad weather and the trapped situation, rescue operations became almost impossible, and it was impossible to pump oil onto the tanker.

Eventually, the tanker sank due to an explosion, and the impact could be felt on the ground more than a mile away.

After the accident

Then French President Raymond Bar said that the oil spill was caused by negligence, which prevented the tanker from sailing 11 kilometres from the French coast.

National Marine Week 2024

The captain was found guilty of violating French pollution regulations. Investigations showed that the tanker had not been properly maintained, and its steering mechanism was poorly designed.

Marine life suffered the greatest loss.

No one was injured, and the crew was rescued, but millions of fish, seabirds and other marine flora and fauna died when the entire Shell oil tanker leaked into the ocean. By April, the oil had spread to the Channel Islands, and many European beaches, marshes, seawalls and rocks were affected.

Researchers said the spill had caused the largest loss of marine life in history four months after it occurred. Millions of sea urchins, mollusks, fish, and crabs were soaked in oil, a heartbreaking sight.

About 20,000 diving birds died, and the disaster also affected oyster farming. Due to the threat of pollution, about 9,000 tons were wasted. Other fisheries, seaweed industries, and tourism industries were also affected.

Many methods were used to deal with the problem, such as using chalk to sink the oil to the bottom of the sea. Other methods included high-pressure washing and removing sediment from marshes and rocky beaches. While the rock formations recovered in the following years, the marshes took decades, and the effects remain.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed that about 100,000 tons of a water-oil mixture were collected, and only 20,000 tons of oil were obtained after processing in refineries.

Legal battle between France and Amoco

The French government, local communities, and fishermen have filed a lawsuit in the United States against Amoco, the tanker owner. The damages are worth $250 million, and the French government is demanding 1.9 billion francs in compensation for damages and intensive cleanup efforts.

Amoco claims it is not liable because it is not responsible for the steering failure that caused the ship to run aground and the oil spill.

In 1984, a US court held the shipowner company liable for damages. It ruled that Amoco did not perform proper maintenance and repair work on the ship to ensure its seaworthiness.

Amoco did not appeal the court order and agreed to pay $200 million, less than half of the claim, a decade later in 1992.

Conclusion

Due to its size and impact on the marine ecosystem, the Amoco Cadiz incident has become one of the most terrible oil spills. The effects can still be felt in the marshes and beaches, where layers of oil are beneath the sand.

It also raises the question of whether stricter safety procedures and operating standards for tankers are needed.

What is truly shocking is that the Amoco Cadiz was a new supertanker operated by a reputable company. He highlights the lack of regulation for tankers flying flags of convenience, which is still a problem today.

The incident prompted many environmental organizations and institutions to call for strict policies and plans to address future oil spills. It also led France to implement the “Plan Polmar,” which established a framework to follow in the event of such a maritime incident.