Spills
Khark 5; 400 miles north of las palmas, canary islands
NOAAORR-6738
- issued
- 1989-12-19 00:00Z
- status
- cancelled 1990-01-02 00:00Z
- self-cancels
- 1990-01-02 00:00Z
- authority
- NOAA OR&R
- sea
- North Atlantic Ocean
- position
- 34.533, -19.567
- vessel
- TANKER KHARK 5
- source
- incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z
Original warning text
Khark 5; 400 miles north of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. 400 miles north of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. 1. On December 19, 1989, the Iranian tanker Khark 5 bound for refineries in Northern Europe exploded and caught fire approximately 400 miles north of the Canary Islands. An estimated 452,400 barrels (19 million gallons) of the 1,714,300 barrels (72 million gallons) on board spilled into the sea. The 35 crew members were rescued by the passing Soviet vessel Sarny. Ocean currents carried the abandoned vessel south towards the Canary Islands. A Moroccan Government Response Task Force consisting of members from the Moroccan Royal Navy, Interior Ministry, Ministry of Fisheries, and the Civil Defense Force responded to the incident. According to a joint Spain/Morocco contingency plan, the Spanish government was prepared to provide aid if necessary. The Moroccan government sent a formal request to the U.S. Coast Guard for technical assistance in evaluating the situation. An Atlantic Strike Team [...] 2. COMMODITY: IRANIAN HEAVY CRUDE OIL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 19000000 GALLONS. 3. POSITION 34.533N 019.567W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 6738: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6738
This area · spills & pollution incidents
1 within 180 nm since 1989 · 0 in the last 12 months · 0 in force now
Season · when spills & pollution incidents happen here
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Nearby now · within 120 nm
Nothing else in force within 120 nm.
Worldwide now
7 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 →
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