2006 : Happy Bride & Sigmagas, France
- Duration of operations : 6 months
- Staff : 50 operators
On Wednesday, January 4, 2006, the butane tanker Sigmagas experienced a breakdown in the Loire River and collided with the butane tanker Happy Bride. The collision occurred near the Donges oil terminal, with the bow bulb of the Sigmagas piercing the Happy Bride’s hull at a tank containing 60 m³ of heavy fuel oil (HFO) for propulsion. Both vessels were moored immediately.
On Thursday, January 5, Le Floch Dépollution was contacted by the TOTAL site manager to pump the fuel from the forward tank of the Sigmagas. The same evening, an operational team equipped with pumping equipment was on site.
The following day, after several meetings, the pumping protocol was defined:
Pumping equipment would be loaded onto the barge “Pascal” and brought alongside the Sigmagas.
Pumps would then be transferred on board the Sigmagas.
Safety instructions and communication rules were established.
From Saturday, January 7, the equipment was loaded onto the Sigmagas and pumping began. Operations were paused overnight and resumed on Monday, January 9, finishing the same day. The operation was approved by the Port Authority of Nantes-St Nazaire.
On Sunday, January 8, a survey was conducted with Le Floch Dépollution, Cedre, ITOPF, and Diren to identify areas requiring cleanup the following Monday.
On Tuesday, January 10, the refinery docks and quay pillars were cleaned (approximately 250 m using high-pressure washers).
On Wednesday, January 11, a Le Floch Dépollution employee and two mooring personnel boarded a barge to clean the methane tanker Berg Odin with high-pressure washing, as it had several fine, shiny black streaks along the waterline left by the fuel spill.
The Prefecture appointed the Port Authority of Nantes-St Nazaire as coordinator of operations, establishing close cooperation between Cedre, ITOPF, Diren, LPO, Le Floch Dépollution, the port authority, and other agencies to manage the pollution efficiently.
Two main cleanup sectors were undertaken in addition to buildings:
Left bank: La Ramée to Gabon in Frossay
Right bank: Total refinery agro-industrial terminal in Donges and St Nazaire
Cleaning operations on the left bank began on Monday, January 9, while work on the right bank started on January 19.
