In the early afternoon of January 8, 1979, the tanker Betelgeuse exploded at the offshore pier of the Gulf Oil Terminal at Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, Ireland. The tanker broke in two and settled in 130 feet of water with 300,000 barrels of oil remaining onboard. The fire burned throughout the day. During the night the fire was extinguished and the stern section sank completely. Approximately 14,720 barrels of oil leaked from the vessel, 3,680 barrels of which impacted the shoreline. Keyword: Manual removal, suction operations, containment boom, skimmer, BP 1100WD, explosion, fire, sinking, sub-surface oil, salvage, lightering..

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Note: Documents are posted chronologically and early reports likely contain factual errors. These errors may be corrected in a later report.