Sea Empress

The incident

On 15 February 1996, the oil tanker the Sea Empress (130,824 tonnes of Forties light fuel) ran aground in front of Milford Haven’s Bay (Wales). After 6 refloating attempts, the vessel was finally towed on 21 February, but 73,000 tonnes of fuel was spilled, polluting 200 km of coastline.

Spill response and crisis management

• Response at sea:
• 8,500 tonnes of emulsion were recovered (4,000 tonnes of oil) by 12 vessels (France, the Netherlands, United-Kingdom).
• 445 tonnes of dispersant were sprayed by aircrafts to fragment the slicks.
• Global cooperation (MPCU, OSRL, French Navy).
• Response on land:
• 30 work sites: 500 people mobilised, including local fishermen.
• 14,000 m³ of emulsions and 3,000 m³ of waste collected (booms, manual collection, screening, high-pressure cleaning).
• Waste treatment: 47,000 tonnes collected at sea and on land
• Waste stored in trenches; liquid waste was recycled in refineries, solid waste was used as road foundation, sent to dumps, or treated by landfarming

Impacts

• Environment:
• 200 km of coastline was discontinuously polluted. “Reference state” known as it was assessed before pollution.
• 3,495 dead birds found 6,900 oiled (common scoter, common mure, razorbill), 3,500 birds cleaned and released. 250 marine mammals oiled.
• Coastal ecosystems (algae, shellfish) impacted, but quick recovery
• Economy:
• Major consequences for the tourism and fishing sectors. Temporary fishing ban, for 3 months (salmon, sea trout), was implemented in polluted areas.

Financial compensation

• 1,034 compensation claims were filed, and compensation up to 36.8 million GBP were given to about 800 people. This amount was distributed between the vessel’s insurance, Skuld Club, for 7.4 million GBP, and the 1971 IOPC Funds, for 29.4 million GBP. At the end of 2004, 53 million Euros in compensation were settled out of court.

Conclusions and Developments

• Use of response products: dispersants and demulsifiers
• Need for enough trained personnel as well as good internal communication with media
• International cooperation never seen before (vessels, experts, financing)
• Environmental monitoring, creation of a dedicated committee: the SEA EMPRESS ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION COMMITTEE (SEEEC), to evaluate the long-term impact of the pollution from the Sea Empress and of the cleaning and restoration operations (80 studies carried out)