General Colocotronis; Eleuthera Island, Bahamas

Eleuthera Island, Bahamas | 1968-Mar-07

Initial Notification: On March 7, 1968, the Greek tank vessel General Colocotronis ran aground on the east side of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. The vessel was loaded with approximately 119,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil. The hull was severely damaged during the grounding causing the vessel to spill approximately 37,000 barrels of oil into the Atlantic Ocean at a location one and one-half miles offshore. Approximately 72,500 barrels of oil were pumped from the vessel into another tanker, the Esso Margarita. Steam lines were rigged to heat the cargo to facilitate pumping. Moving the salvage vessels into position and offloading the remaining cargo was performed during extremely severe weather. Dive surveys reported that the keel was crushed and buckled and that there was extensive damage to the hull of the vessel. Salvage and response personnel decided that the only feasible action was to sink the General Colocotronis. Following the offloading operations, the cargo tanks were flushed with dispersants to remove the residual oil. The vessel was then towed out to deep water and sunk. USCG district 7. Keyword: Enjay 7664, Magnus, Drew, Polycomplex A, boom, International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), lightering, sinking..