Castillo de Salas

The Castillo de Salas was waiting outside the harbour, when she ran aground during a violent storm and broke in two. The bow part was refloated, towed away and sank to a great depth.

The stern part was removed piece by piece, after it had been in part demolished by the sea. The bunker fuel, stored in the double bottom of the ship, had to be pumped out. The regional authorities asked for the wreck to remain on the seabed, in order to be used as an artificial reef for marine flora and fauna.

In 2000, fuel began to arrive on the coast, and it was deduced that the pumping of the tanks had not been completed properly. A new pumping operation, with divers working inside the tanks, had to be implemented in 2001 and 2002, resulting in the recovery of 250 and 150 tonnes of fuel respectively. A risk analysis showed that there remained no quantifiable hazard, however the ballast tanks presented a consistent environmental and social problem. The double bottom was therefore cut out, removed piece by piece and disposed of on land in 2003.