UNITED KINGDOM: GROUNDED OIL TANKER THE SEA EMPRESS SURVIVES STORMY NIGHT OFF THE SOUTH WALES COAST

Record ID: 337568

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: GROUNDED OIL TANKER THE SEA EMPRESS SURVIVES STORMY NIGHT OFF THE SOUTH WALES COAST
  • Date: 19th February 1996
  • Summary: MILFORD HAVEN, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 19, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV DAKOTA PLANE SPRAYING OIL WITH DETERGENT 0.20 2. SV CHINOOK HELICOPTER WINCHING PEOPLE ONTO TANKER SEA EMPRESS 0.54 3. SCU HELICOPTER LOWERING PUMP ON TO TANKER 1.15 4. SV VARIOUS OF BUILDING DEFENCE WALL, TO STOP OIL GETTING IN
  • Embargoed: 5th March 1996 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MILFORD HAVEN, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: EUROPE Wales United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA9HQNJOETDBVQPJU2O1IIJ27TC
  • Story Text: The oil tanker Sea Empress, grounded off the South Wales coast, survived a stormy night in gales and heaving seas but on Monday (February 19) oil continued to spill from the vessel.

    The vessel, which ran aground on Thursday, has so far spilled some 400 tonnes of light crude oil onto a coastline reputed for its wildlife.

    Three aircraft sprayed the six-km (four-mile) brown and black slick with chemicals to dispurse the oil.

    Coastguards said a patch of heavy oil was filling a nearby bay but the worst of the spill appeared to have been contained.

    A team of specialist engineers were winched down onto the stricken tanker to prepare to pump off its remaining cargo of some 130,000 tonnes of oil and a giant Chinook helicopter airlifted pumps onto the vessel.

    The salvage team are trying to anchor the ship to the seabed and bring the vessel back onto an even keel before transferring its cargo. They said they would stay on board all night.

    The work is expected to take two days, depending on weather conditions and salvage officials hope to start moving a smaller tanker alongside by midweek. But weather forecasters said the gales were likely to continue until Tuesday evening.

    The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has launched an operation to save as many sea-birds, dolphins and seals as possible from the oil.

    Conservationists say the area is home to as many as 100,000 birds. Rare red-throated divers and guillemots have already been found coated with oil.

    The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it was worried about government policies on prevention of oil spills.


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