The Oil Tanker Erika

Oil tanker Erika sinking 45 miles off the west coast of France on December 12, 1999. In a storm the Erika broke its back before sinking and releasing 30,000 tons of heavy fuel oil. The damage to the Atlantic coast of France was unprecedented. The effort to recover damages went on for more than a decade. The Italian owner of the Malta-flagged vessel was ultimately found guilty of neglecting maintenance problems with the 25-year-old tanker, known to have been a “rust bucket.”