The sinking of the Erika

The sinking of the Erika

Caught in a heavy storm, a Maltese oil tanker, the Erika broke in two this morning off Penmarch in Finistère. The twenty-six crew members were rescued by a Franco-English device. The shipment of 24,000 m3 of oil is still in the ship, but the risk of an oil spill is not completely ruled out. The Atlantic Maritime Prefect, Yves NAQUET RADIGUET, initiated the POLMAR plan. Story of the rescue of the sailors through various testimonials, an extract of the press conference of the Marine Prefect of the Atlantic and the infra-red images of the National Navy showing the Erika broken in two Mani ELANGOVAN, a crew member, expressed his fear when the boat broke in two. Roland PRIMEL, the helicopter mechanic, recounts the panic of the people rescued: "They were fighting almost to recover the strap to hoist them into the helicopter". Yves NAQUET RADIGUET, Atlantic Marine Prefect, explains at a press conference that the tug l'Abeille Flandres is currently trying to move the stern part of the tanker away from the coast in order to avoid significant pollution.

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File : Sinking of the Erika

Publication date : 12 December 1999