Крушение танкера «Атлантик Эмпресс» в Карибском море

Greek oil tanker; collided, sank, and spilled oil in the Caribbean Sea in 1979

SS Atlantic Empress was a Greek oil tanker that in 1979 collided with the oil tanker Aegean Captain in the Caribbean, and eventually sank, having created the fifth largest oil spill on record and the largest ship based spill having spilled 287,000 metric tonnes of crude oil into the Caribbean Sea. It was built at the Odense Staalskibsværft shipyard in Odense, Denmark, and launched on 16 February 1974.

The Atlantic Empress was a large crude oil carrier built at the Odense Staalskibsværft shipyard in Odense, Denmark, and launched on 16 February 1974. At the time of her sinking, she was owned by the South Gulf Shipping Company of Greece, and flagged in Liberia. In heavy rain and thick fog the two ships did not see each other until they were apart. Aegean Captain changed course, but it was too late; at 7:15 p. m, the two ships collided, with the Empress tearing a hole in the Captains starboard bow. Large fires began on each ship, which were soon beyond the control of the crews, who abandoned their ships. The remaining crew from both ships were taken to Tobago for medical treatment, while the Empresss captain was transported to a hospital in Texas, having inhaled fire. and the German Bugsier, managed by a Salvage inspector of Smit International, attempted to control the fire aboard Empress, and contain the spreading oil slick. Two tugs (one of them being the Smit Zwarte Zee) towed the burning ship further out to sea.