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Erkowit

Name
Erkowit
Accident date
11/10/1970
Location
Spain
Accident area
Cape Vilano, Galicia
Spill area
Inshore
Cause of spill
Collision
Nature of pollutant
Insecticide
Quantity spilled
286 tonnes
Ship / structure type
Container ship
Flag
Sudanese

While on its way from Liverpool (UK) to Port Sudan (Sudan) in thick fog, the container ship Erkowit was severely damaged following collision with the Durtmond, a German steamboat.
 
 The German vessel managed to save all the crew members of the Erkowit. The container ship was towed away and beached in the Bay of La Coruña. Attempts to repair the vessel with wood failed and strong waves rapidly deteriorated it.
 
 The wreck of the Erkowit and part of its cargo, 2,000 barrels of insecticide, were abandoned on the beach. This incident is highly likely to have resulted in the pollution of the region's coastal waters, but few studies were conducted on the environmental impact.

Sources :

  • HOOKE, Norman, 1997, Maritime Casualties 1963-1996, second edition, LLP Limited, London
Last update on 02/02/2009

External links

CIIMAR database:  fate and weathering of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) involved

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