Bellver Castle

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Bellver Castle p1
Ship data
flag SpainSpain Spain
Ship type Tanker
Whereabouts Sunk after fire in August 1983.
Ship dimensions and crew
length
334.02 m ( Lüa )
width 55.05 m

The Castillo De Bellver was an oil tanker built in 1978 .

On August 6, 1983, it caught fire with 252,000 tons of oil on board about 110 kilometers northwest of Cape Town . The burning ship drifted away and broke in two. The stern capsized with about 100,000 tons of oil in the tanks in deep waters about 40 km off the coast. The forecastle was towed further away from the coast and sunk with controlled explosions.

An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 tons of oil burned or spilled into the sea. The oil initially drifted towards the coast, but was then pushed further out by the wind and finally into the northwest flowing Benguela Current.

Despite the large amount of oil, the environmental impact was described as low. As the only countermeasure, some dispersant was sprayed. Around 1,500  Cape boobies were oily, and in the 24 hours after the incident, black rain from oil drops fell on nearby wheat fields and pastures for sheep.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Castillo de Bellver , Center of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution.
  2. ↑ a b Castillo De Bellver on itopf.com (English)

Web links