Our story
For nearly 50 years, CEDRE has been supporting spill response stakeholders.
Created in 1978 by the Council of Ministers following the Amoco Cadiz oil spill, CEDRE has developed unique expertise in the field of accidental pollution involving oil, chemicals and aquatic litter, in both marine and inland waters.
March 16, 1978 - Amoco Cadiz accident - © Marine Nationale
CEDRE's creation
CEDRE was created by decision of the Council of Ministers on 5 July 1978, in the aftermath of the Amoco Cadiz oil spill. This incident revealed that the lessons learned from the Torrey Canyon spill in 1967 had been forgotten and highlighted the lack of a centre devoted to experimentation and operational expertise within France's marine pollution system.
From the get-go, CEDRE was faced with a major incident: the sinking of the oil tanker Gino on 28 April 1979 off the coast of Ushant Island in Brittany, with 40,000 tonnes of carbon black oil on board.
