Small oil parts originated from the sunken con/ro ‘Grande America’ are still washing up on certain beaches in Loire-Atlantique and Vendée, in the west coast of France, according to maritime agency Premar Atlantique.
A few tens of kilograms of pollutants as well as several birds carrying traces of oil were recovered, as oil slabs were detected on certain beaches on 17-18 February.
The French State are working in close collaboration with the Research and Experimentation Documentation Center on accidental water pollution (CEDRE) to try to determine their origin.
The first CEDRE analyzes, carried out on samples taken by the land authorities, show great similarities with the propulsion fuel from the ship Grande America, which sank in the Bay of Biscay on March 12.
The Italian con/ro ‘Grande America’ caught fire on 10 March, approximately 140 nm off Finistère, forcing all 27 members of crew to abandon ship.
The ship eventually sank on 12 March in the Bay of Biscay, by 4,660 meters deep, causing pollution by floating debris and propulsion hydrocarbons.
Satellite, air, nautical and terrestrial means, deployed as part of the regular surveillance, are monitoring the situation off the coast of the Loire.
Aerial overflights were also carried out vertically from the site of the Grande America sinking .
No pollution at sea has been detected since the alert was triggered.
People are reminded not to touch or pick up the oil slabs they may be likely to find on the beaches of Loire-Atlantique and Vendée, but to inform their town hall, the gendarmerie, or the sappers -firefighters,
…Premar Atlantique advised.
In April 2019, to stop the leaks of hydrocarbons escaping from the wreck of the Grande America, the unmanned submarine (ROV) operated by the specialized vessel Island Pride, chartered by the owner Grimaldi Group, allowed the closing of the orifices through which the propulsion fuel of the ship flowed.
