The Aegean Sea oil spill was a spill that occurred on 3 December 1992 when the double-bottom Greek-flagged tanker, Aegean Sea, en route to Repsol refinery in A Coruña, Spain, suffered an accident off the Galician coast. The ship had successfully passed all required tests and revisions.
As the vessel prepared to enter the docks of A Coruña, the wind speed was above 50 kn (93 km/h; 58 mph), and visibility was under 100 m (110 yd), causing her to lose her assigned course. Agean Sea broke up and exploded with 50 m (160 ft) flames near the Tower of Hercules, spilling more than 70,000 tons of oil into the ocean.
The two anchors of Aegean Sea were recovered, and are now on display at Aquarium Finisterrae in A Coruña, and at the Philippe Cousteau Museum at Salinas, Asturias.
Famous quotes containing the words sea, oil and/or spill:
“The Sea Tiger was built to fight. She deserves a better epitaph than “Commissioned 1940. Sank 1941. Engagements, none. Shots fired, none.” Now you can’t let her go that way. That’s like a beautiful woman dying an old maid.”
—Stanley Shapiro (1925–1990)
“Eat what you can get.
Where’s the salt
in this dump of a village?
And, Lucky Man,
what’s the use
of a salty thing
if there’s no oil in it?”
—Hla Stavhana (c. 50 A.D.)
“Didn’t spill a drop. The shakes are gone just because of a piece of music. Until they played that piece, I, I forgot how I got into this thing. Keep on playin’ it. I don’t think I’ll ever forget again.”
—Jules Furthman (1888–1960)