Melbridge Bilbao

The incident

On 12 November 2001, the container ships Melbridge Bilbao (150 m, 9,650 tonnes) ran aground on Molène Island (Finistère) after diverting from her path. The vessel, journeying from Havana to Rotterdam hit the island at a speed of 17 knots in slightly foggy weather and calm sea.

Spill response and crisis management

• Refloating: Successful on 13 November with the help of the tug Abeille Flandre, avoiding major pollution.
• Towing: the vessel was towed to a sheltered area in the Bertheaume cove for inspection and safety operations, before being towed to the port of Brest, where she was unloaded and repaired.
• Deployment of a containment boom around the vessel Pumping: Fuel of the damaged tanks pumped in the dry dock (until 30 November).
• Oil leaks were detected under the vessel on 16 November in the dry dock and contained by the boom.
• The cleaning of the dry dock required considerable resources The operations ended on 24 November 2001 with the recovery of 48 m³ of oil on the water The work continued until 7 December with the cleaning of 600 m of walls on a height of 1 m, about 250 keel blocks, the basin doors, and the hull of the ship.
• A cleaning worksite for the equipment used during pollution response was then set up on CEDRE’s technical platform. It ended on 18 December.
• Cleaning: Traces of pollution (fuel) on Molène, limited to 5 m².

Legal proceedings and compensation

• Ruling: The second in command was found guilty of accidental pollution and condemned to a suspended prison sentence of 6 months and a €3,000 fine.
• Financial compensation: Molène Island and the mixed syndicate for shoreline protection (former Amoco syndicate), which constituted the prosecution, respectively received 2,000 and 1,000 Euro.

Results

• The probable cause for the incident: human error (exhaustion, navigation mistake). Even in calm weather, navigation mistakes can lead to incidents.
• What might have happened to Molène: If the vessel had not been refloated quickly and had been progressively dismantled by the winter winds, the cleaning operations on the archipelago would have lasted for months instead of being carried out in optimal conditions, quickly and in a confined area.