Ambès

The incident

On 12 January 2007 at 08h00, a crude oil storage tank belonging to the Canadian company Vermilion Emeraude Rep, located in Ambès (Gironde, France) on the oil storage depot operated by the Société Pétrolière du Bec d’Ambès (SPBA) gave way.

The entire contents of the tank, 13,500 m³ of Aquitaine crude oil, were suddenly released, creating a wave effect causing some 2,000 m³ of oil to spill over the top of the retention tank. This led to the pollution of ditches and a departmental road before reaching the Garonne and Dordogne rivers and the Gironde estuary.

Spill Response

• Emergency measures: Evacuation of the site, stopping of the pumps, spraying of foaming agent to reduce the risk of fire, closing of the departmental road.
• Spill Response:
• Pumping of the oil on the road and in ditches.
• Deployment of sorbent booms and cofferdams on riverbanks.
• Use of an oil recovery unit (Piranha) and of dispersants.
• Preference for natural cleaning on hard-to-reach riverbanks.

Impacts

• Environment: 40 km of embankments polluted, sheen up to 20 km downstream, some birds and local animals oiled (coypus wild boars), but no major impact on fauna.
• Economy: Temporary interruption of oil production on Parentis lake and transfer of the oil via roads.

Legal proceedings

• In 2014, acquittal of SPBA and its former director.
• In 2016, the Court of Appeal recognised the responsibility of DPA but judged the compensation claims from the prosecution inadmissible.
• In 2018, the Court of Cassation partially overturned this ruling on the parts regarding compensation claims.

Results

• 50 m³ of oil reached the Garonne river.
• Effective natural cleaning: only traces of pollution subsisted in July 2007.
• Monitoring period extended until September 2008, confirming the natural reduction of pollution.