The
Erika oil desaster in Brittany, France - All quiet on the western front?
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The picture above shows an oil covered stone -perfectly round shaped by chance and wrapped by an oil soaked rag (possibly used for cleaning work, but could also be a piece of tarpaulin washed ashore- I don't know). The objects were set up exactly like this when I found them, nothing has been altered, however I did find it a funny twist of nature that this should resemble so uncannily an oil covered globe smothered as it were by the rag.. I took this picture in the beginning of summer 2000 on the "Cote Sauvage" of the Guerande Peninsula, near Pierre Plate - at a time when the French government and tourist boards of the region had officially declared the problem to be solved and beaches clean and fit for tourism. Business as usual.. |
 Original Photo showing greater detail |
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2001:
So far I have been unable to find any website dealing with the incident in detail- On trying to interview the regional authorities, including environmental organisations, I have met with a wall of silence. Comment by the person leading the regional society for the protection of birds PLO (no pun intended): "Oysterfishers? They are fine! The oysters this year have an excellent flavour, perhaps you would be interested in our book on oyster recipies? "... The oyster fisher I had originally inquired about,- this being a centre for bird protection or so the sign read- Haematopus ostralegus,a medium sized bird with black and white plumage and vivid red beak, normally filling the air with its distinctive "kiebieck kiebieck" - has completely vanished from the coast of the Bretagne. Not a single one is left. I wouldn't be able to comment on it's flavour this season.. |
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Some
facts
· 12th December 1999: A small oil tanker: Erika, carrying diesel fuel oil (the worst type of oil for causing environmental damage) sinks off the Biscay coast of Brittany in gale force winds. The Erika split in two, 45 miles (70 km) south of Brittany's rugged Finistere Peninsula on Sunday morning under weather conditions of 100 km (60 mile) winds and 6 metre (20 foot) waves. · 26.000 Tonnes of oil were spilled into the sea by Erika (Source: British Marine Life Study Society) · An estimated 21.000 birds were oiled in the process (Source: British Marine Life Study Society) · Local inhabitants told me that about 75% of the bird population was killed as direct effect by the oil spill. (Source was given as Local radio Station, Radio Guérande) · Residents of Pierre Plate and other parts of the Cote Sauvage, one of the places hit worst by the oil slick, had to keep all doors and windows firmly shut for a week and it was recommended not to smoke or light open fires, because the diesel fumes wafting over from the polluted coast not only made inhaling the outside air hazardous for human health, but also posed the risk of explosion. (Source: Natalie Baudou, resident of Pierre Plate and former local radio journalist) · A radio message was received by local coast protection authorities by the captain of Erika, giving a distress signal and asking for help- However, an unidentified male voice in the background was heard ordering the captain to abort this call for help and to say that all is well. Rescue operations were therefore NOT launched, at a time when Erika was in severe danger, being driven towards the coast but not yet havaried. Had a rescue operation been carried out at this stage, the desaster would not have happened. It is undisclosed to this day, by whom and why the distress call was intercepted. The Oil company involved, TOTAL - FINA, has "regretted" the incident, payed out a token sum for clean up operations, and refused to comment.. (Source: TF1) |