Grande America Explained

Grande America was a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship built by Fincantieri in 1997, owned and operated by Grimaldi Lines, a subsidiary of Grimaldi Group. It sank in the Bay of Biscay in March 2019.

Sinking

On 10 March 2019, Grande America caught fire while traveling the Atlantic Ocean between France and Spain on its route from Hamburg (Germany) to Casablanca (Morocco), and sank 4600m (15,100feet) into the Bay of Biscay on 12 March.[1] [2] The 27 people on board were rescued by the Royal Navy ship after they abandoned ship on 11 March.[3] After their lifeboat's engine broke down entering the water, a Royal Navy sea boat towed it to safety in a 6m (20feet) swell. Leading Seaman David Groves, the sea boat coxswain, was later awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his bravery in the rescue.[4]

Oil spill

Spill Name:Grande America oil spill
Location:Bay of Biscay, France
Cause:Foundering of the Grande America cargo ship
Operator:Grimaldi Lines
Volume:c. 2200t marine fuel (metric tonnes)
Area:c. 10km (10miles) × 1km (01miles)

An oil spill of about 10km (10miles) in length and 1km (01miles) in width began moving towards the French coast line, threatening the areas around La Rochelle, Biarritz and Vendée.[5] The ship was carrying 365 containers, of which 45 contained material deemed to be hazardous, including 10 tonnes of hydrochloric acid and 70 tonnes of sulfuric acid.[6]

Cargo

The ship contained dozens of vehicles that were to be delivered to Brazilian importers, including 37 Porsche vehicles. Four of these were Porsche's last units of the 911 GT2 RS, which went out of production in February 2019. The sinking led to Porsche reactivating the production line for the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, so that these four last units could be delivered to their owners in Brazil.[7] The ship was also transporting dozens of Audi cars, including RS4 and RS5 models.[8]

Wreck

The wreck was located by Island Pride (a vessel leased to Ocean Infinity).[9] It arrived 30 March and started inspecting the wreck site using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs).[10] The ROVs were used to seal light leaks of oil discovered during the inspection.[11]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fire-Stricken Grande America Sinks off France . Worldmaritimenews.com . 13 March 2019 . 14 March 2019.
  2. Web site: Grimaldi confirm Grande America fire started in container cargo. FreightWaves.com . 13 March 2019 . 14 March 2019.
  3. News: Royal Navy rescues container ship crew after it goes up in flames in Bay of Biscay (The Independent) . 14 March 2019.
  4. News: Queen's Gallantry Medal for dramatic rescue sailor. BBC News. 25 February 2020.
  5. Web site: Nach Schiffsuntergang droht Frankreichs Küste eine Ölpest. Tagesschau.de . de. 14 March 2019.
  6. News: Grande America: France braces for oil spill damage after ship blaze . 14 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  7. Web site: Porsche Is Restarting 911 GT2 RS Production to Replace Cars Lost at Sea . Mate Petrany . Road and Track . March 19, 2019. March 20, 2019.
  8. News: Cargo Ship Carrying New 911 GT2 RS' Sinks, Porsche To Resume Production Of Model (Update) . Michael Karkafiris . 19 March 2019. 20 March 2019.
  9. Web site: Ocean Infinity to Conduct AUV Surveys for Petrobras . www.oedigital.com. January 16, 2019.
  10. Web site: GRANDE AMERICA: Cargo Ship. www.vesseltracker.com. 26 February 2020.
  11. Web site: Grande America Leaks Plugged 4,600 Meters Below Surface. April 23, 2019 . www.worldmaritimenews.com.