A Maltese registered tanker, on behalf of Total, transporting 30,800 tonnes of heavy fuel oils was heading for Italy, when it split in two during a storm on 12 Dec in the northern part of the Bay of Biscay, off Brittany.
A Super Frelon was initially despatched but part way through the rescue its winch failed and a 34F Lynx was scrambled from Lanvéoc to recover the remaining survivors. An initial lift filled the cabin and those were set down at Saint Guénolé harbour, before returning for the remainder. The bow sank on 12 Dec and the stern went down the following day.
20,000 tonnes of oil spilled and the rest went down with the ship. The spill polluted much of Frances Atlantic coastline. From Jun 2000 and for the next 3 months, c 10,000 tonnes of oil was pumped from the sunken sections of the ship. The accident turned out to be Frances worst maritime environmental disaster to date and in 2008, Total was held responsible, fined EUR 375K with EUR 2M in clean up costs.
A Super Frelon was initially despatched but part way through the rescue its winch failed and a 34F Lynx was scrambled from Lanvéoc to recover the remaining survivors. An initial lift filled the cabin and those were set down at Saint Guénolé harbour, before returning for the remainder. The bow sank on 12 Dec and the stern went down the following day.
20,000 tonnes of oil spilled and the rest went down with the ship. The spill polluted much of Frances Atlantic coastline. From Jun 2000 and for the next 3 months, c 10,000 tonnes of oil was pumped from the sunken sections of the ship. The accident turned out to be Frances worst maritime environmental disaster to date and in 2008, Total was held responsible, fined EUR 375K with EUR 2M in clean up costs.
Units |
| Dates | Unit | Models |
|---|---|---|
| 12dec99 |  32F Aéronautique Navale | SE3210 Super Frelon SA365 Dauphin 2 |
| 12dec99 to 13dec99 | 34F Aéronautique Navale | Lynx |
Ships |
| Classes | Ships | |
|---|---|---|
