| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Amoco Cadiz |
| Owner: | Amoco Transport Co. |
| Port of registry: | Liberia |
| Builder: | Astilleros Españoles, S.A. Cádiz, Spain |
| Yard number: | 95 |
| Laid down: | 24 November 1973 |
| Launched: | 1974 |
| Completed: | May 1975 |
| Out of service: | 16 March 1978 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 7336422 |
| Fate: | Sunk at |
| Notes: | [1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 233,690 DWT; 109,700 GRT |
| Length: | 334.02 m (1,095.9 ft) |
| Beam: | 51.06 m (167.5 ft) |
| Draught: | 19.80 m (65.0 ft) |
| Installed power: | 22,700 kW 1 x 30,400 hp (22,700 kW) diesel engine |
| Propulsion: | Single screw |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 1.6 Mbbl (250×103 m3) |
| Crew: | 44 |
| Notes: | [1][2] |
Amoco Cadiz was a very large crude carrier (VLCC), owned by Amoco, that ran aground on Portsall Rocks, 5 km (3.1 mi) from the coast of Brittany, France, on 16 March 1978, and ultimately split in three and sank, all together resulting in the largest oil spill of its kind in history to that date.[1][2]
Contents |
Amoco Cadiz contained 1,604,500 barrels (219,797 tons) of light crude oil from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia and Kharg Island, Iran.[3] Severe weather resulted in the complete breakup of the ship before any oil could be pumped out of the wreck, resulting in its entire cargo of crude oil (belonging to Shell) and 4,000 tons of fuel oil being spilled into the sea.[4]