Oil pollution following the Sea Empress spill
The vessel ran aground upon a wave-exposed, current-scoured section of coastline. These
conditions facilitated the spread of oil slicks well beyond the immediate area of
grounding. Heavy oil slicks drifted into Milford Haven, and north and south along the open
Pembrokeshore coast.
This map (31K GIF image) shows the approximate extent of
coastline that was affected by heavy oil pollution during February and March of 1996. The
heaviest and most persistent oiling affected shores to the south and east of the point of
grounding. The degree of oil pollution within this area was very variable. Although some
shores were badly affected by bulk oil pollution, others experienced only light oiling.
All types of shore were affected by slicks, from
wave-exposed rocky cliffs to sheltered muddy creeks. Substantial quantities of oil were
stranded on certain sandy shores.
An oiled
sandy beach (45K JPEG image)
An oiled
shore of sand and rock (52K JPEG image)
Some shores beyond the specified area were affected by relatively light
oiling. During the early weeks of the incident, oil was observed across a wide
area of the Bristol Channel. The most distant shores affected included those
around Lundy Island and the south-east coast of Ireland.
Many of the shores within Pembrokeshire improved greatly during the weeks
after the spill as a result of the the clean-up operation and/or natural
processes. Major bathing beaches were reopened by Easter. Residual oil
contamination, however, continued to be in evidence on a number of shores through the summer, and
autumnal gales caused the reappearance of significant quantities of tar balls and surface
sheens, unwelcome at the time but accelerating natural recovery in the longer term.
University of Wales
Swansea School of Biological Sciences Home Page
Authors: Peter Dyrynda, Rob Symberlist
Contact: P.Dyrynda@swansea.ac.uk
Update: 299/4/02
This map (31K GIF image) shows the approximate extent of
coastline that was affected by heavy oil pollution during February and March of 1996. The
heaviest and most persistent oiling affected shores to the south and east of the point of
grounding. The degree of oil pollution within this area was very variable. Although some
shores were badly affected by bulk oil pollution, others experienced only light oiling.
All types of shore were affected by slicks, from
wave-exposed rocky cliffs to sheltered muddy creeks. Substantial quantities of oil were
stranded on certain sandy shores.
An oiled
sandy beach
An oiled
shore of sand and rock