The Amoco Cadiz was a large oil tanker owned by Amoco Transport Corp, registered under the Liberian flag. She was designed to transport crude oil, with a cargo capacity of approximately 1,604,500 barrels (around 219,797 tons) of light crude oil from Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, and Kharg Island, Iran. The vessel's construction details are not specified on the provided page, but she was a supertanker capable of carrying vast quantities of oil, making her a significant vessel in maritime logistics during her time. On March 16, 1978, the Amoco Cadiz was en route from Brittany, France, to Lyme Bay, UK, when she encountered severe weather conditions, including a southwesterly gale. During the voyage, she experienced a rudder jam while attempting to avoid another ship, which impaired her steering. Despite efforts to repair the rudder and tow her away from the coast, she gradually drifted toward the Brittany shoreline. The vessel was first aground at 9:04 pm after riding over a rock spire, which punctured her hull and flooded her engine room. She was subsequently driven onto the Portsall Rocks and later grounded on the Men Goulven rock, about 2 km from the coast. The ship's structural integrity was compromised during her ordeal. She broke into two parts by March 24 and further disintegrated into three sections by March 29, ultimately being destroyed by depth charges dropped from helicopters. The wreck's breakup and the subsequent explosion caused a massive oil spill, releasing her entire cargo of crude oil and 4,000 tons of fuel oil into the sea—an environmental disaster of notable scale at the time, with an estimated spill of over 220,880 tonnes of oil. The sinking of the Amoco Cadiz marked a significant event in maritime history, highlighting dangers posed by severe weather and navigational challenges for supertankers. The incident led to substantial legal and financial repercussions for Amoco, including fines and compensation totaling approximately $230 million. Today, the wreck is a site frequented by leisure divers, serving as a grim reminder of the environmental and maritime risks associated with oil transportation.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.