Spills
Bantry bay, ireland
Betelgeuse; Bantry Bay, Ireland · NOAAORR-6248
- issued
- 1979-01-08 00:00Z
- status
- cancelled 1979-01-22 00:00Z
- self-cancels
- 1979-01-22 00:00Z
- authority
- NOAA OR&R
- sea
- North Atlantic Ocean
- position
- 50.667, -12.067
- vessels
- TANKER BETELGEUSETANKER BROKE · 2 messages
- source
- incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z
Original warning text
Betelgeuse; Bantry Bay, Ireland. Bantry Bay, Ireland. 1. In the early afternoon of January 8, 1979, the tanker Betelgeuse exploded at the offshore pier of the Gulf Oil Terminal at Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, Ireland. The tanker broke in two and settled in 130 feet of water with 300,000 barrels of oil remaining onboard. The fire burned throughout the day. During the night the fire was extinguished and the stern section sank completely. Approximately 14,720 barrels of oil leaked from the vessel, 3,680 barrels of which impacted the shoreline. Keyword: Manual removal, suction operations, containment boom, skimmer, BP 1100WD, explosion, fire, sinking, sub-surface oil, salvage, lightering.. 2. COMMODITY: MIXED ARABIAN CRUDE OIL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 618000 GALLONS. 3. POSITION 50.667N 012.067W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 6248: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6248
This area · spills & pollution incidents
1 within 180 nm since 1979 · 0 in the last 12 months · 0 in force now
Season · when spills & pollution incidents happen here
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month of issue, all years in the archive
Nearby now · within 120 nm
Nothing else in force within 120 nm.
Worldwide now
8 spills & pollution incidents in force · see all
Spills
Oil and chemical spills, groundings and vessel casualties with a pollution threat: NOAA IncidentNews responses since 1957, and spill-response areas broadcast as navigational warnings. All current spills & pollution incidents →
Not for navigation. This is a re-rendering of an official navigational warning for awareness; mariners must use official NAVAREA broadcasts and their national MSI service.