8.2
Case 2 LIMBURG - Oil Spill,
Yemen,6th October 2002
Case 2 LIMBURG - Oil Spill,Yemen,6th
October 2002
? On the morning of 6th October 2002 the French
tanker LIMBURG (299,364 DWT) suffered an
explosion and fire as she approached the SBM at
the Ash Shihr terminal in Yemen,Initially the
cause of the explosion and subsequent fire was
unclear but it is now considered likely to have
been the result of a terrorist attack,Damage was
sustained to No,4 Starboard tank,which at the
time contained some 13,500 tonnes of Arabian
Heavy crude,The vessel had part loaded at Ras
Tanura with 54,000 tonnes of crude and was to
load the rest of her cargo in Yemen for delivery
to Malaysia.
? The fire was limited to one tank and continued to
burn for two days,consuming the great majority
of the tanks' contents,although some was spilled
to the sea,Aerial observations made that day
revealed several hundred tonnes of oil residues
still afloat on the sea close to the coast,and oil
was stranding on shores as a result of onshore
winds,Small volumes of oil - most likely oil that
had been trapped in the space between the double
hulls of the newly built vessel - continued to leak
from the damaged area over successive days.
? No coherent slicks which would be amenable to
containment and recovery were seen after 8th October,
and the viscous nature of the burned and weathered oil
also meant that it could not be dispersed chemically,As a
result,no at-sea response operation was mounted,Over
the following days a series of aerial surveillance flights
and shore inspections indicated that an estimated 300
tonnes had been spilled,This oil came ashore
intermittently along some 120 km of the Yemeni
coastline,from just south of the terminal to Al Mukalla,
Mayfaa and Bir Ali,By 15th October some scattered
patches of oil and sheen remained off the coast between
Mayfaa and Bir Ali,but the total quantities involved were
estimated to be some 10 tonnes or less and too scattered
to merit any attempt at offshore recovery.
Shoreline oiling was patchy,with stretches of a few
hundred metres heavily contaminated but elsewhere
oiling was light to moderate,Shoreline clean-up was
undertaken by a contractor appointed by the Yemeni
authorities under the supervision of the Harbour Master
ofAl Mukalla.
? Although Yemen has ratified the 1969 Civil
Liability Convention (CLC),a terrorist act is one
of the exclusions provided by the Convention.
During the last few days of October 2002,the
tanker owner made a payment,without admission
of liability,to the Yemeni authorities as a gesture
to the Yemeni people,The vessel was then
allowed to sail to Fujairah for cargo transhipment
and repairs.
Case 2 LIMBURG - Oil Spill,
Yemen,6th October 2002
Case 2 LIMBURG - Oil Spill,Yemen,6th
October 2002
? On the morning of 6th October 2002 the French
tanker LIMBURG (299,364 DWT) suffered an
explosion and fire as she approached the SBM at
the Ash Shihr terminal in Yemen,Initially the
cause of the explosion and subsequent fire was
unclear but it is now considered likely to have
been the result of a terrorist attack,Damage was
sustained to No,4 Starboard tank,which at the
time contained some 13,500 tonnes of Arabian
Heavy crude,The vessel had part loaded at Ras
Tanura with 54,000 tonnes of crude and was to
load the rest of her cargo in Yemen for delivery
to Malaysia.
? The fire was limited to one tank and continued to
burn for two days,consuming the great majority
of the tanks' contents,although some was spilled
to the sea,Aerial observations made that day
revealed several hundred tonnes of oil residues
still afloat on the sea close to the coast,and oil
was stranding on shores as a result of onshore
winds,Small volumes of oil - most likely oil that
had been trapped in the space between the double
hulls of the newly built vessel - continued to leak
from the damaged area over successive days.
? No coherent slicks which would be amenable to
containment and recovery were seen after 8th October,
and the viscous nature of the burned and weathered oil
also meant that it could not be dispersed chemically,As a
result,no at-sea response operation was mounted,Over
the following days a series of aerial surveillance flights
and shore inspections indicated that an estimated 300
tonnes had been spilled,This oil came ashore
intermittently along some 120 km of the Yemeni
coastline,from just south of the terminal to Al Mukalla,
Mayfaa and Bir Ali,By 15th October some scattered
patches of oil and sheen remained off the coast between
Mayfaa and Bir Ali,but the total quantities involved were
estimated to be some 10 tonnes or less and too scattered
to merit any attempt at offshore recovery.
Shoreline oiling was patchy,with stretches of a few
hundred metres heavily contaminated but elsewhere
oiling was light to moderate,Shoreline clean-up was
undertaken by a contractor appointed by the Yemeni
authorities under the supervision of the Harbour Master
ofAl Mukalla.
? Although Yemen has ratified the 1969 Civil
Liability Convention (CLC),a terrorist act is one
of the exclusions provided by the Convention.
During the last few days of October 2002,the
tanker owner made a payment,without admission
of liability,to the Yemeni authorities as a gesture
to the Yemeni people,The vessel was then
allowed to sail to Fujairah for cargo transhipment
and repairs.
