M/V Prestige; Spain

Spain | 2002-Nov-15

Initial Notification: On November 13, 2002, the T/V Prestige became distressed approximately 30 miles off the coast of the Galicia region of Spain. On November 15, the tanker was towed offshore. At that time an estimated 1500 tonnes of oil were reported to have been lost (later estimates were much higher). On November 19, the tanker was reported to have sunk 133 miles off the coast in almost 12,000 feet of water. The tanker still contained an estimated 60,000 tonnes of oil. The oil continued to leak over a period of time from the sunken vessel. Eventually robots were sent down to seal cracks and the oil was eventually removed. The Prestige incident has been used as a poster child for Port of Refuge issues.