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El Amoco Cádiz
The Amoco Cádiz, an American oil tanker registered under the flag of Liberia, can be considered the largest accessible sunken wreck in the world, as it is located at a depth of only 35 meters. Measuring 334 meters in length and displacing more than 250,000 tons, it is a colossus that sunk about three miles off the port of Portsall, in French Brittany, on rocks called the Rochers de Portsall.
Sunk in 1978, its shipwreck constituted one of the greatest ecological catastrophes to occur at sea. It is estimated that 223,000 tons of crude oil were spread by currents and tides along 400 kilometers of the Atlantic coasts surrounding the English Channel. Due to the state of the sea, the oil could not be extracted from the tanks using suction pumps.
The spill dramatically affected the marine ecosystem, contaminating the area for more than 5 years, and killing thousands of birds and underwater species. The cleanup tasks were carried out during these years and thanks to this the magnitude of the disaster is beginning to be forgotten. The area has almost completely recovered and life has once again colonized the seabed, swallowing this strange colossus in its jaws.
The disaster
After crossing the Atlantic and entering the English Channel, the ship encountered a storm with southwest winds of more than 100 kilometers per hour.
In this area of the North Atlantic, the currents, which exceed 10 knots (18 km per hour), and the hurricane-force winds that cause waves of more than five meters, have sent thousands of ships of all kinds to founder. the times.
On the morning of March 16, 1978, when he was sailing off the coast of the Breton island of d'Ouessant, he suffered a broken steering wheel. rudder hydraulics. Without a government in the middle of the storm, he asked for help by radio.
The German tugboat Pacific came to their aid, commanded by Captain Hartmut Weinert. After a tough negotiation on the economic conditions of the rescue between him and the captain of the Amoco Cádiz, the Italian Pasquale Berdari, the tanker tries to be towed away from the coast. However, the moorings break and the fatal outcome is precipitated. After running aground against the rocks of the Rochers de Portsall, the ship splits in two spilling its deadly cargo onto the rich Atlantic waters.
For more than a year the bow of the Amoco Cádiz appeared above the surface pointing towards the sky, as if resisting being swallowed entirely. Finally it sank and today its remains can be seen at a depth of 35 m.
The immersion in the colossus
The first thing we should know before venturing out to do a dive is that diving in the entire area is prohibited and we must obtain a special permit from the French authorities, which is not available. within the reach of sport divers, since many of the explosives that the French Navy dropped, from helicopters, in 1978 to open the hull of the ship and allow the oil to come out more quickly , have not yet been detonated. Furthermore, due to the depth at which it is located, and the strong currents that constantly sweep this area, which complicates the visit and subsequent decompression stops, it is a dive for very experienced divers.
The best time of day is the change of tide, the moment when the high tide ends to begin the low tide.
At this moment, which lasts approximately an hour, the strength of the currents decreases somewhat, and it is possible to see part of the remains, since the entire wreck is practically impossible. > given its size and it would take several days.
When descending, the first thing we encounter is the transom, located very close to the surface, only 5 m deep. Descending along its port side, sheltered from the current, we can explore the cover covered with sheet algae that are intertwined between the oil pipes. Meters and meters of pipes that carried the black gold between the tanks of the Amoco Cádiz.
The port side rests on the Atlantic sand, which little by little is swallowing up the remains of the hull. The force of the sea and the surf move the algae and sand from one side to the other. It is difficult to maintain the position due to the pressure of the water on the hull. Another factor to take into account is the siphon effect, which can suck us through a gate or exterior hole, due to the effect generated by another wave on another hole connected to that entrance.
Multitudes of small fish seek shelter among the steel plates covered in algae. In the blue, schools of small fish, such as anchovies and sardines, form clouds in the surroundings.
We will exit by returning towards the stern, where we will be able to make stops up to 5 m holding onto the structure of the wreck.
In any case we must carefully plan the dive, as it is impossible to visit all the remains. We will need several to explore this immense wreck in all its splendor.
Three decades later
More than three decades after the shipwreck, the fauna and flora of this area have barely recovered. Disasters like the Amoco Cádiz haunt the French coasts, and in 1999 the Erika once again wreaked desolation in Atlantic waters, releasing 8,000 tons of crude oil.
The French authorities, despite having modified the traffic separation device and the coordination of the old individual coast guard system, find themselves unable to face a problem that threatens to end the life of their waters.
