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Independenta SpillIndependenta SpillIstanbul, Turkey 11/15/79 Incident Summary On the morning of November 15, 1979, the Independenta and the Evrialy collided at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus. The Independenta exploded and both vessels began to burn. The Independenta grounded a half of a mile from the port of Hydarpasa. The tanker burned until December 14. The Independenta was carrying 714,760 barrels of Es Sider crude oil. Behavior of Oil Es Sider crude oil has an API gravity of 36.7, and a pour point of 30 degrees F. Little oil was found on the water, and it was surmised that the majority of the oil had burned on the tanker. Any slicks of oil probably drifted into the Sea of Marmara and dissipated. From November 17 to November 27, there was slight leakage from the vessel. The vessel suffered another major explosion on December 6, resulting in more oil spilled. The slick from the vessel drifted towards the port of Hydarpasa, and despite booms across its entrance, approximately 380 barrels of oil entered the harbor. Countermeasures and Mitigation The Turkish Navy attempted to extinguish the fire early in the incident, but the intensity of the fire caused these efforts to be abandoned. The Director of the Marmara Sea District took over the spill on November 19, and the Navy withdrew. International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd. (ITOPF) personnel came on scene on November 17. The Turkish government refused permission for overflights, and all pollution surveys were conducted by boat. Little pollution was found and the ITOPF personnel left on November 27. Explosions onboard the vessel on the night of December 6, prompted the return of ITOPF personnel on December 10. Surveys after the fire had extinguished itself revealed that there was no further leakage from the vessel. Approximately 15,240 barrels of oil were left on the vessel. It was surmised that the majority of the oil on the tanker had burned. The owner of the tanker arranged for boom and skimmers to be flown in from the United Kingdom. After the explosion on December 6, a slick was observed drifting towards the port of Hydarpasa, and boom was deployed across its entrance. The rest of the equipment, including five skimmers, was never used. Surveys showed that little of the spilled oil impacted the shoreline. The southeast shore of the Bosphorus was the most heavily oiled area. There was no reported cleanup of oiled shorelines. Other Special Interest Issues Strong prevailing winds during the leakage of oil from the December 6 explosion prevented the boom across the port of Hydarpasa from being more effective. The sides of the Bosphorus are heavily built up. There are many recreational beaches at the southern entrance to the Bosphorus, and in the Sea of Marmara. The largest concern was for the shorelines of Kalolimno and Marmara Islands. They are the source of important beach sand (used for construction) and marble industries. There were no reports of adverse effects to the local fishing industry, as neither a major fish migration nor the fishing season were in progress at the time. References This content has been excerped from: Oil Spill Case Histories 1967-1991: Summaries of Significant U.S. and International Spills |
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