2007 : Katja, France

The Katja accident occurred on August 7, 1997, at 00:20, following a misjudged docking maneuver in the Port of Le Havre, Petroleum Basin No. 3. The Katja is a 232 m Bahamian-registered tanker, built in 1995 according to the new double-hull standards imposed by the U.S. authorities after the Exxon Valdez accident.

The breach occurred in one of the ship’s propulsion fuel tanks, which are not required to have a double hull, resulting in 187 m³ of heavy fuel oil (No. 2 HFO) being spilled into Basin No. 3. The hydrocarbon was heavy (density 0.98) and viscous (350 cSt at 50°C).

The accident happened shortly before the ebb tide. By the time the tugs completed their operations, nearly half of the product had escaped the basin, drifting along the southern part of the port and contaminating port structures. A portion of the pollutant, estimated between 30 and 60 m³, exited the Port of Le Havre with the falling tide early on the morning of August 7. (Source: Cedre)