The Braer Runs Aground near the Shetlands
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Ecology and the Environment Series
- Categories: Environmental Issues, Disasters
- Subcategories: Ships, Naval History, Energy, Fuel, Power Sources, Ecology, Environment, Conservation
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, British History
- Geographical Location: Scotland
- Date: January 5, 1993
Article abstract: The 1993 shipwreck of the oil tanker Braer demonstrated that nature can, at times, deal with major oil spills.
Summary of Event
On Tuesday morning, January 5, 1993, the 89,700-ton, single-hulled oil supertanker Braer was traversing the twenty-two-mile-wide strait between Shetland and Fair Island, off Scotland’s northernmost coast. Carrying 24.6 million gallons of light crude oil, the Braer was on its way from the port of Mongstad in Norway to refineries at St. Romuald, Quebec, Canada. The weather was abysmal, with waves...
[The entire page is 2329 words long]