Torrey Canyon – March 18, 1967: The Mother of the Black Tides
On February 19, 1967, the Torrey Canyon left the oil refinery of Al Ahmadi in Kuwait. The supertanker was heading for Milford Haven, Wales, United Kingdom after circumventing South Africa. She was transporting 120,000 tons of crude oil. Built in 1959 in the United States by Newport News Shipbuilding, she was jumboized in 1965, and lengthened from 247 to 297 meters; her initial capacity of 60,000 tons was doubled. She was the pride of oil shipping companies.
On March 18, 1967, the Torrey Canyon, due to a faulty navigation, was impaled on the reefs between the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.
Two months later, the aftermath of the shipwreck was taking a heavy toll – 150 kilometers of polluted shores in Southeast United Kingdom. Thousands of birds covered in oil came across the English Channel and were washed up dead or dying up from Calais to the Ile d’Yeu, France. The coastline was in mourning from the peninsula of La Hague to the tip of Brittany. The Channel Islands were wearing black.
For the first time, the expression “Black Tide” was on the front page of the news.
Where is she going?
Press Release Modern Express no.2
The amended European Union Directive of June 27, 2002 asks all member States to establish plans to accomodate ships in distress in their ports or in any other protected area in the best possible conditions.
The Modern Express is currently under tow and is heading further out to sea. It is understandable that the French maritime authorities initially wish to keep her away from an inhospitable coastline.
Nevertheless, in order to avoid a shipwreck in the middle of the sea, or a potential sinking of the vessel in the Bay of Biscay, it is essential to designate a place of refuge where the salvage teams could benefit from better weather and technical conditions necessary to correct the list of the Modern Express. The vessel is currently in waters under French jurisdiction.
The solitary journey of the Modern Express
The scenario of the ship that refuses to sink is a familiar situation for rescue teams and maritime authorities since the Liberty Ship Flying Entreprise ran adrift in the English Channel in the winter of 1952. A notable difference with the Modern Express is that the master stayed on board till the very end, until he was evacuated, following 15 days of drift and futile efforts to restore the stability of the vessel.
Although relatively recently built, a number of deficiencies have been reported on the Modern Express in the Port of Antwerp since 2012.
