Risk assessment of western seaboard

In the wake of the latest oil spill off the coast of Brittany (France), WWF, the International conservation organization, has called for a formal risk assessment of Europe's western seaboard and the approaches to the continent's major oil ports and harbours.

WWF stressed that five of the world's last 10 major oil spills happened on this stretch of coastline. This clearly illustrates the need for such an assessment to be undertaken by the region's national governments with the support of the European Commission. "It's crucial to assess the environmental sensitivity of Europe's coastline and its vulnerability to shipping activity, especially in areas where there is heavy traffic of hazardous cargoes," said Sian Pullen, Head of WWF International Shipping Policy.

That includes, for example, measuring the volume and type of shipping traffic, and determining the increased dangers associated with bad weather. "WWF wants to see the appropriate regulations introduced to reduce the risks of continued shipping incidents to Europe's coastal waters and marine wildlife," she added.

WWF is also calling for sufficient emergency response systems to be established in waters that are difficult to navigate, and where there are adjacent sensitive coastal areas. It welcomed France's decision to launch a full investigation into why the tanker Erika broke up on Sunday morning, and how that could have been prevented. "Despite the seriousness of this accident, other coastal states could learn an important lesson from the French authorities' immediate and efficient response," said Stefan Lutter, Head of WWF's North-East Atlantic Programme. "In situations like this, it is crucial to have sufficient salvage tug capacity available to tow the vessel to open waters, in order to prevent more oil from reaching vulnerable coastal areas."

The Malta-registered tanker, carrying around 26,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, broke in two after being lashed by gale-force winds and waves up to six metres high. Between two and five thousands tons of its load were spilled into the sea, 70 km off the coast of Brittany. It is still unclear how much, if any, of the resulting slick will reach the coast, as continuing stormy weather is helping to break it up at sea. However, the threat remains for the area and its wildlife, especially seabirds and marine mammals.

The last five major oil spills that happened on Europe's western coastline:
· 18 March 1967, Torrey Canyon, Scilly Islands (South-western UK) and British coast, 119,000 tonnes of crude oil spilled
· 16 March 1978, Amoco Cadiz, Northern coast of Brittany (North-western France), approx. 230,000 tons of crude oil spilled
· 3 December 1992, Agean Sea, near the port of La Coruña (North-western Spain), 80,000 tonnes crude oil spilled
· 5 January 1993, Braer, south of Shetland Islands, (North-eastern Scotland), 84,500 tonnes of oil spilled
· 15 February 1996, Sea Empress, near the port of Milford Haven, on the Welsh coast, approx. 65,000 tonnes of crude oil spilled

Wildlife that could be affected if the oil spill reaches the coast of Brittany:
· Auks: Black Guillemots, Razorbills, Common Murres, Atlantic Puffin (now rare in Brittany, but affected by oil spills), Auklets and Murrelets.
· Other seabirds: Cormorants and Gannets.
· Mammals: Grey seals, and possibly also dolphins if they swim through the slick.