2019
Cedre’s 40th anniversary, major changes and the Grande America oil spill
Cedre’s 40 year milestone: to mark Cedre’s 40th anniversary, our annual report was completely revamped. This report presents our actions and work in a more attractive and visual format.
2019 marked the start of our digital journey, in particular with our first e-learning courses, thanks to support from the Region of Brittany.
The year 2019 also saw the stepping up of studies and work on aquatic litter, with notably the development of national beach litter and microplastics monitoring networks.
2019 was the year of the sinking of the fire-stricken Grande America in March. This Italian-registered roll-on/roll-off container ship was travelling from Hamburg to Casablanca when a violent fire broke out that could not be brought under control. The vessel sank 140 nautical miles off the French coast in the Bay of Biscay, with 2,200 m3 of bunker fuel onboard and 365 containers, of which 45 contained hazardous substances. Cedre was called upon and our response centre was heavily involved in providing operational advice.