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USCG Case History

On March 16, 1978, the Amoco Cadiz  ran aground on Portsall Rocks, three miles
off the coast of Brittany due to failure of the steering mechanism.  The vessel
had been en route from the Arabian Gulf to Le Havre, France when it encountered
stormy weather which contributed to the grounding.  The entire cargo of
1,619,048 barrels, spilled into the sea.  A slick 18 miles wide and 80 miles
long polluted approximately 200 miles of Brittany coastline.  Beaches of 76
different Breton communities were oiled.

The isolated location of the grounding and rough seas restricted cleanup efforts
for the two weeks following the incident.  Severe weather resulted in the
complete break up of the ship before any oil could be pumped out of the wreck. 
As mandated in the "Polmar Plan", the French Navy was responsible for all
offshore operations while the Civil Safety Service was responsible for shore
cleanup activities.  Although the total quantity of collected oil and water
reached 100,000 tons, less than 20,000 tons of oil were recovered from this
liquid after treatment in refining plants.