Patmos; Straits of Messina, Sicily, Italy

Straits of Messina, Sicily, Italy | 1985-Mar-21

Initial Notification: On March 21, 1985, the Patmos and the Castillo de Montearagon collided in the Straits of Messina. The Patmos was carrying 828,300 barrels of Kirkuk crude oil while the Castillo de Montearagon was in ballast. The Patmos caught fire and was grounded on the beach of Villagio Torre Faro, Sicily. Firefighters subsequently towed the vessel off the beach to maneuver it for firefighting efforts. The fire was extinguished on March 23, and the Patmos was brought to dock at Messina, Sicily. Approximately 5,300 barrels of Kirkuk crude oil spilled from the Patmos. The majority of the spilled oil moved south through the Straits of Messina. Most of the oil broke up in the variable currents of the strait, forming separate slicks that moved south at different rates. Some of the oil initially released moved to the north due to tidal currents. By March 23, most of the oil to the north had dissipated, but there was some sheen and mousse in the area. As the oil moved south it incorporated garbage, amounts of which typically exist in the waters east of Sicily. A slick of about 750 barrels remained off the coast near Taormina in spite of onshore winds, for two days. Small amounts of oil impacted the shore near Agnone Bagni, Capo Campolato, and Pozzillo. The rest of the oil moved to the southeast away from Sicily and dissipated in the sea. Keyword: Containment boom, skimmer, manual removal, collision, fire, International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF)..