Atlantic Empress
| History | |
|---|---|
 Liberia
|
|
| Name: | SS Atlantic Empress |
| Owner: | South Gulf Shipping Co. Ltd., Greece |
| Builder: | Odense Staalskibsværft, Odense, Denmark |
| Yard number: | 49 |
| Launched: | 16 February 1974 |
| Completed: | April 1974 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 7359975 |
| Fate: | Sank, 3 August 1979 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | VLCC |
| Tonnage: | |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 51.8 m (169 ft 11 in) |
| Draught: | 22.1 m (72 ft 6 in) |
| Depth: | 28.4 m (93 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: | Steam turbines, 23,866 kW (32,005 hp), 1 screw |
| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
Coordinates: 13°05′N 55°28′W / 13.083°N 55.467°W
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.
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.
On 19 July 1979 Atlantic Empress collided with the Aegean Captain, another fully laden Greek supertanker, 18 miles east of the island of Tobago. At the time of the collision Atlantic Empress was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Beaumont, Texas, with a cargo of light crude oil owned by Mobil Oil. Aegean Captain was en route to Singapore from Aruba.
In heavy rain and thick fog the two ships did not sight each other until they were 600 yards (550 m) apart. Aegean Captain changed course, but it was too late to avoid a collision, and at 7:15 p.m the two ships impacted, with the Empress tearing a hole in the Captain's starboard bow. Large fires began on each ship, which were soon beyond the control of the crews, who abandoned their ships.
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Wikipedia