| On December 11, 1999, Erika, an oil tanker flying the Maltese flag and loaded with 31 000 t of heavy fuel oil, was making its way from Dunkirk to Livorno when it encountered difficult weather conditions Southwest of the Brittany coast gale force winds 8 to 9 and 6 mwaves). On the morning of 12th December, the captain broadcast an SOS; his vessel was breaking in two, approximately 30 nautical miles to south of Penmarc'h Point (Fig. 1; Finistère, France). The fore section of the vessel sank during the night of the 12-13 December and the aft section was taken in tow on the morning December 13, but subsequently sank in the early afternoon. Both parts lay in 120 m of water and were located 10 km apart. Approximately, 19 000 t of heavy fuel oil were spilled into... |
