MV ''Erika'' (formerly ''Shinsei Maru'', ''Glory Ocean'', ''Intermar Prosperity'', ''South Energy'', ''Jahre Energy'', ''Prime Nobel'' and ''Nobel'') was an
oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
built in 1975 and last
chartered by
Total-Fina-Elf. She sank off the coast of France in 1999, causing a major environmental disaster.
Background
''Erika'' was one of eight sister ships built in Japan. Despite having 10% less steel than many other tankers of similar size, ''Erika'' was very popular amongst shipping companies because of its relative inexpensiveness.
Sinking
On 8 December 1999, the vessel sailed out of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
, bound for
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
and with a cargo of around 31,000 tons of
heavy fuel oil. ''Erika'' ran into a heavy storm as it entered the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
. On 12 December 1999, the tanker broke in two and sank, releasing thousands of tons of oil into the sea, killing marine life and polluting shores around
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, France.
Course and oil spill
List of certificates issued for ''Erika'' by RINA:
*International Load Line Certificate – Dated 16 December 1998 valid until 31 August 2003
*Safety Construction Certificate – Dated 16 December 1998 valid until 31 August 2003
*International Pollution Certificate – Dated 16 December 1998 valid until 31 August 2003
*Safety Equipment Certificate – Dated 16 December 1998 valid until 14 August 2000
*Radio Certificate – Dated 23 November 1999 valid until 31 March 2000
Total said that the classification society,
Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) had reported that the tanker was in good condition, and that it routinely required certificates of good condition for vessels more than 20 years old. The incident triggered new European Union legislation as regard to transport by sea.
On 16 January 2008, Total, Giuseppe Savarese (the shipowner), Antonio Pollara (the handler) and RINA (the expert company) were sentenced to pay indemnities of €192 million (US$280 million), plus individual penalties. The judgement, while recognizing the risks inherent to oceangoing vessels, reckoned Total SA was "guilty of imprudence", from the fact that Total did not take into account "the age of the ship", (nearly 25 years), and "the discontinuity of its technical handling and maintenance". On 30 March 2010, Total SA lost their appeal to overturn the court's decision.
See also
*
EU Erika packages of law I, II and III
Notes
References
*
External links
Report of the Enquiry into the Sinking of the Erika off the coasts of Brittany on 12 December 1999Archive
- Permanent Commission of Enquiry into Accidents at Sea (''Commission Permanente d'Enquêtes sur les Événements de Mer'', CPEM) - Hosted by the Bureau d'Enquêtes sur les Événements de Mer
Rapport d’enquête sur le naufrage de l’ERIKAArchive
- CPEM at BEAmer
*
AnnexArchive
- Total SA
Ministry of the Environment
(Archived on web.archive.org)
Dossier of the Ministry of Defense
(Archived on web.archive.org)
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GMDSS TransmissionsChronology
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Erika
Oil tankers
Oil spills in France
Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay
Maritime incidents in 1999
TotalEnergies
Ships of Malta
1974 ships