Aragon; Madeiran Archipelago, Portugal

Madeiran Archipelago, Portugal | 1989-Dec-29

Initial Notification: While under tow, the Spanish tank vessel Aragon suffered damage during a storm on December 29, 1989, approximately 360 miles off the coast of Morocco. The damage resulted in the release of approximately 175,000 barrels of Mexican Maya Crude Oil into the Atlantic Ocean, near the Madeiran archipelago. The Portuguese Navy was in charge of the response. They monitored the initial movement of the oil until it made landfall. Approximately three weeks after the spill, pollution occurred on the Portuguese Island of Porto Santo, with oil believed to have been from the Aragon. This was later confirmed when oil samples were taken from the vessel. Portuguese authorities requested assistance from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and the European Economic Community (EEC) Task Force. Specialists from the ITOPF and EEC Task Force recommended bringing additional equipment to the island, as there was no pollution response force already in place. Keyword: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), boom, high-viscosity screw pumps, high-pressure washing, hot-water flushing, Inipol, reoiling, manual removal, fingerprinting, sub-surface oil, disposal..