MT Independenţa

The M/T "Independenţa" was a Romanian-flagged crude oil carrier, one of the biggest ships of the Romanian commercial fleet. She collided in 1979 with a freighter at the southern entrance of Bosphorus, Turkey and exploded. She caught fire and grounded. Almost all of the tanker's crewmembers died. The wreck of "Independenţa" burned for weeks causing heavy air and sea pollution in the Istanbul area and the Marmara Sea.

Early in the morning of November 15, 1979, the Independenţa, carrying 94,000 tons (714,760 barrels) of crude oil from Es Sider, Libya, collided with the Greek cargo ship M/V Evriali (10,000 DWT) at the southern entrance of the Istanbul Strait. The collision was followed by a big explosion at 05:20 a.m. and both vessels began to burn. The Independenţa ran aground half a mile off the Port of Haydarpaşa. 43 crewmembers of the tanker lost their lives; only 3 survived the catastrophic accident. Almost all the victims lost their lives in the water when burning petroleum on the surface was driven towards the shore by the wind. The sailors which survived had jumped on the other side of the ship, against the wind, being rescued later on by boats.

The Turkish Navy immediately attempted to extinguish the fire. However, these efforts had to be abandoned due to the intensity of the fire. The Director of the Marmara Sea District took over the spill on November 19, and the Navy withdrew.

The Istanbul Strait remained closed for weeks. The wreck affected the area for some years until it was decomposed and salvaged to a shipyard in Tuzla.

Investigations

Is not clear, even today, the real cause of accident. Some say that there is a secret report from Romanian Foreign Intelligence Services at that time that states the accident was not at all a mere accident, but an act of sabotage in order to stop the then communist Romania's rising as a major player on the petroleum/tankers market. Of course such theory is considered by many, more or less, a myth.

Romanian shipping company Navrom, claimed the insurance sums, rising to some tens of millions of US Dollars. This action resulted in a thorough inspection of the ship's wreck by independent survey teams, employed by the insurance company from Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Japan. As the inspection did not reveal any major faults in construction, the insurance was finally paid.

Pollution

From November 17 to November 27, there was slight leakage from the tanker. Another major explosion occurred onboard the vessel in the night of December 6 at 10:40 p.m., which resulted in more oil spill. [ [http://www.sihirlitur.com/olaylar/tanker/tanker_yazi.html Sihirli Tur] tr icon] The slick from the vessel drifted towards the Port of Haydarpaşa, and the booms across its entrance could not prevent approximately 50 tons of oil entering the harbor. The tanker continued to burn until December 14. [ [http://www.oilspills.org/Independenta.htm Oil Spills] ]

The maximum accumulation of harmful particles in the air during the fire exceeded four times the permissible limit set for human health. Heavy oil contamination formed on the surface of the sea and on the heavily built shores and the recreational beaches of Marmara Sea and the Istanbul Strait.

It was estimated that 30,000 tons of crude oil burned and that the remaining 64,000 tons spilled into the sea. Because of the rapid evaporation of the light components, the crude oil quickly sank to the bottom of the sea in an area approximately 5.5 km in diameter. [ [http://www.tudav.org/bogaz_veri_bank.htm Strait Data Bank at Turkish Maritime Research Foundation] ]

ister ships

M/T "Independenta" was the first from a series of five Romanian supertankers, which were constructed by Santierul Naval Constanta, in the 80s. The sister ships were as follows:

M/T "Unirea" - broke and sunk at the beginning of 80s in the Bulgarian waters of Black Sea. Official reports claim that the accident was caused by the collision with a WW II mine. A different opinion (unofficial) came from some naval architects and marine engineers stating that the ship broke due to the incorrect ballasting (the ship had no cargo on the moment of accident).

M/T "Biruinţa" - Owned and managed by the then Romanian state owned Shipping Company (Navrom). In the 90's the ship was passed to the Romanian private shipping company "Petromin", changing its name to M/T "Iris Star". Finally the ship was bought by the Romanian shipping company Histria Shipmanagement having its name changed again to M/T "Histria Crown". The ship was finally decommissioned after more than 20 years of service in 2006.

M/T "Libertatea" - had the same history (including ownership) as her older sister M/T "Biruinta" with the only exception that the ship is still in operation under the name M/T "Histria Prestige".

M/T "Pacea" - was never fully completed. At the end of the 80's was passed to Czechoslovakia as a part of Romania's foreign debt.

ister ship’s incident

The sister ship of "Independenţa", the M/T "Iris Star" lost power due to engine failure during her passage through the Bosphorus on July 27, 2000, and drifted towards Kandilli point. There was no extensive damage reported.

References