Spills

Madeiran archipelago, portugal

Aragon; Madeiran Archipelago, Portugal · NOAAORR-6739

issued
1989-12-29 00:00Z
status
cancelled 1990-01-12 00:00Z
self-cancels
1990-01-12 00:00Z
authority
NOAA OR&R
sea
North Atlantic Ocean
position
33.567, -15.567
vessel
TANKER OWNERS POLLUTION FEDERATION · 12 messages
source
incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z

Original warning text

Aragon; Madeiran Archipelago, Portugal.
Madeiran Archipelago, Portugal.
1. While under tow, the Spanish tank vessel Aragon suffered damage during a storm on December 29, 1989, approximately 360 miles off the coast of Morocco. The damage resulted in the release of approximately 175,000 barrels of Mexican Maya Crude Oil into the Atlantic Ocean, near the Madeiran archipelago. The Portuguese Navy was in charge of the response. They monitored the initial movement of the oil until it made landfall. Approximately three weeks after the spill, pollution occurred on the Portuguese Island of Porto Santo, with oil believed to have been from the Aragon. This was later confirmed when oil samples were taken from the vessel. Portuguese authorities requested assistance from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and the European Economic Community (EEC) Task Force. Specialists from the ITOPF and EEC Task Force recommended bringing additional equipment to [...]
2. COMMODITY: MEXICAN MAYA CRUDE OIL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 7350000 GALLONS.
3. POSITION 33.567N 015.567W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 6739: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6739

This area · spills & pollution incidents

1 within 180 nm since 1989 · 0 in the last 12 months · 0 in force now

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Spills

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