Braer
Encyclopedia
The MV Braer was an oil tanker
which ran aground off Shetland, Scotland
, in January 1993.
coastguard were advised that the tanker, the Braer, en route from Bergen
in Norway
to Quebec
in Canada
, laden with 85,000 tonne
s of Norwegian Gullfaks
crude oil, had lost engine power but was in no immediate danger. Her estimated position then was 10 miles (19 km) south of Sumburgh Head
and she was drifting in predominantly southwesterly winds of force
10-11. The coastguard alerted rescue helicopters from Sumburgh
and RAF Lossiemouth
, and made enquiries about the availability of local tugs. At the Coast Guard's suggestion, the master agreed that non-essential personnel should be removed from the vessel—14 of the 34 crew were taken off by the coastguard helicopter from Sumburgh at 08:25.
At 08:50 it was feared that the ship would founder near Horse Island
, and the experience of the Aegean Sea
which burst into flames shortly after grounding led the coastguard to persuade the Greek captain Alexandros S. Gkelis to abandon ship. However, because of strong northwest local currents, the Braer moved against the prevailing wind and missed Horse Island, drifting towards Quendale Bay.
With the arrival on scene of the anchor handling vessel Star Sirius
, it was decided to attempt to try to establish a tow. The master and some personnel were taken out by helicopter and were put back on board the vessel. Efforts to attach a heaving line were unsuccessful, and at 11:19 the vessel was confirmed as being grounded at Garths Ness, with oil being seen to flow out into the sea from the moment of impact. At this time, the would-be rescue team were rescued by the helicopter.
. Gulfaks crude is lighter and more easily biodegradable than other North Sea crude oils, and this, in combination with some of the worst storms seen in Shetland (naturally dispersing the oil by wave action and evaporation), prevented the event becoming an even bigger disaster. The following is a brief account of the spread and eventual dispersion of the oil.
), representing the SIC, Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT), Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH), Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group (SOTEAG), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
(RSPB), Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SSPCA), and the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, came together to initiate a response at the Boddam Scout hut (it having been identified as a suitable Wildlife Response Centre (WRC) 'command centre'). From there, they directed all activities relating to wildlife affected by the spill; which was channelled into three categories:
The volunteer response from the people of Shetland to walk beaches was excellent, especially considering the appalling weather conditions during much of January. From outside Shetland came several 'walk-in' helpers, a team of five from the Scottish Wildlife Trust
and two from British Gas
, while some staff members from organisations such as the RSPB came north and helped out both on beaches and in key duties at the WRC. Volunteers were organised into teams of at least two and collected all dead and any live birds and animals from accessible beaches. Where possible, beaches were checked at least twice per day.
During the first few days of the spill, efforts were concentrated in the south-west Mainland, from Sandwick
round to Maywick; but the northward spread of the oil up the west side meant that, by the 12th January, surveys had been extended to cover the longer stretches of accessible coastline in the Burra, Scalloway, Whiteness and Weisdale areas, and westwards as far as Culswick. In total, all the accessible beaches from Leebitten (east Mainland) round Sumburgh to the Dale of Walls (west Mainland) were checked during the course of the spill, which prompted the setting up of a forward 'command post' at Holmsgarth, Lerwick from where surveys of the 'northern' coasts were co-ordinated.
The total number of bird corpses recovered from beaches during January was 1538. Of these, 805 (52%) were found between Sumburgh Head and Garths Ness. Only 60 corpses (3.8%) were collected from beaches along the east coast, with the remainder scattered fairly evenly along the west coast between Spiggie and Sandsound, with smaller numbers further north and west to Dale. During the first week of the spill (6-12 January), very few corpses were found away from the area between Scatness and St. Ollie's Isle, and even in this area the majority were collected from the West Voe of Sumburgh, Scatness and Quendale. In the second week (13-19 January), fewer corpses were collected close to the Braer, and there was a corresponding increase in the number collected from further north on the west coast. This trend continued into the third week (20-26 January), but, by the fourth week (27-31 January), very few birds were found anywhere and there was no obvious tendency for more to be found in one area than another.
In any oil spill, it is difficult to estimate the proportion of the actual mortality found on beach surveys, and several factors made that even harder in the case of the Braer. The almost constant storms made it difficult to search shorelines as thoroughly as could have been done in calmer weather, and also made it much more difficult to catch live birds, some of which were driven inland by the wind. The weather also prevented systematic searches of the islands in Quendale Bay and further north, where birds were likely to have come ashore and died, while the exceptionally high tides at the time also compounded the problem, especially if they occurred in the middle of the day. For several days, beaches were completely underwater for the 6–7 hours of daylight available for surveys, with unreachable corpses simply moving back and forth in the surf. When tides did drop, many beaches had been completely rearranged or buried in tonnes of kelp by the heavy seas.
At Scatness
, dead Shags
had been driven deep into cracks and crevices in the rocks or buried beneath the kelp
, and sometimes just parts of a bird were found. In addition, the many small boulder beaches along the south-west coast could not be checked at all due to their inaccessibility, several corpses were likely to have been scavenged by the larger gull
s, and an unknown but almost certainly significant proportion will have been swept out to sea, never to be found.
was made on 8 February 1993. This part of the act is used to designate wrecks categorised as dangerous. It was only the second time that Part 2 of the Act was used to designate a wreck site, and the designation was imposed because of the presence of the oil. The designation was revoked on 7 October 1994 following dispersal of the oil.
released the album Jewel in the Crown, including "The Islands" by Ralph McTell
and Maartin Allcock
. The song defiantly commemorates the wreck of the Braer, personifying the sea as the protector of the British Isles.
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
which ran aground off Shetland, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in January 1993.
Reason for ship's loss
In the ship court after the loss, it was stated that reason for ship's loss was seawater contamination of the diesel oil.Timeline
At 05.19 hrs on Tuesday 5 January 1993, LerwickLerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
coastguard were advised that the tanker, the Braer, en route from Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, laden with 85,000 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s of Norwegian Gullfaks
Gullfaks oil field
Gullfaks is an oil and gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea operated by Statoil. It was discovered in 1979, in block 34/10, at a water depth of 135 meters. The initial recoverable reserve is , and the remaining recoverable reserve in 2004 is . This oil field reached peak production in...
crude oil, had lost engine power but was in no immediate danger. Her estimated position then was 10 miles (19 km) south of Sumburgh Head
Sumburgh Head
Sumburgh Head is located at the southern tip of the Shetland Mainland in northernScotland. The head is a 100 m high rocky spur capped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. The Old Norse name was Dunrøstar høfdi, it means "The Head onto the Thunderous Noise", referring to the noise of Sumburgh Roost...
and she was drifting in predominantly southwesterly winds of force
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
10-11. The coastguard alerted rescue helicopters from Sumburgh
Sumburgh Airport
-Other tenants:*Maritime and Coastguard Agency *Bristow Helicopters*Bond Helicopters -Incidents and accidents:...
and RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and is currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s. From 2013 the Northern QRA force of Typhoon F2 will relocate to Lossiemouth following the closure of...
, and made enquiries about the availability of local tugs. At the Coast Guard's suggestion, the master agreed that non-essential personnel should be removed from the vessel—14 of the 34 crew were taken off by the coastguard helicopter from Sumburgh at 08:25.
At 08:50 it was feared that the ship would founder near Horse Island
Horse Holm
The Horse Holm , referred to on maps as Horse Island, known to locals simply as Da Holm, and used as an alignment point by local fishermen for several fishing marks, lies about 2.3 km west of Sumburgh Head at the south tip of the Mainland, Shetland.-Footnotes:This article incorporates text from ...
, and the experience of the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea (oil spill)
On December 3, 1992, the double-bottom Greek-flagged tanker Aegean Sea, en route to Repsol refinery in A Coruña, Spain, suffered an accident off the Galician coast. It had successfully passed all required tests and revisions....
which burst into flames shortly after grounding led the coastguard to persuade the Greek captain Alexandros S. Gkelis to abandon ship. However, because of strong northwest local currents, the Braer moved against the prevailing wind and missed Horse Island, drifting towards Quendale Bay.
With the arrival on scene of the anchor handling vessel Star Sirius
Star Sirius
The Star Sirius was a UT 734-class ocean-going anchor handling tug and supply ship berthed in Lerwick throughout much of the 1970s. Today it is known as the Hua Shan....
, it was decided to attempt to try to establish a tow. The master and some personnel were taken out by helicopter and were put back on board the vessel. Efforts to attach a heaving line were unsuccessful, and at 11:19 the vessel was confirmed as being grounded at Garths Ness, with oil being seen to flow out into the sea from the moment of impact. At this time, the would-be rescue team were rescued by the helicopter.
Environmental Consequences
Fortunately for Shetland, the Gulfaks crude the Braer was carrying was not a typical North Sea oilNorth Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...
. Gulfaks crude is lighter and more easily biodegradable than other North Sea crude oils, and this, in combination with some of the worst storms seen in Shetland (naturally dispersing the oil by wave action and evaporation), prevented the event becoming an even bigger disaster. The following is a brief account of the spread and eventual dispersion of the oil.
Volunteer response
The various local organisations that are involved in the wildlife aspects of a large oil spill had for some time planned how to cope with such events. Immediately after the Braer grounded, these organisations (under the umbrella of the WRCCWRCC
WRCC was a radio station broadcasting a southern gospel format. Licensed to Dibrell, Tennessee....
), representing the SIC, Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT), Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
(SNH), Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group (SOTEAG), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
(RSPB), Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity to promote animal welfare in Scotland. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1839 and one of its first aims was to improve the welfare of cart-horses...
(SSPCA), and the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, came together to initiate a response at the Boddam Scout hut (it having been identified as a suitable Wildlife Response Centre (WRC) 'command centre'). From there, they directed all activities relating to wildlife affected by the spill; which was channelled into three categories:
- Organise teams to walk beaches and collect oiled birds and animals
- Deal with live oiled birds and mammals
- Record and store dead birds and mammals
The volunteer response from the people of Shetland to walk beaches was excellent, especially considering the appalling weather conditions during much of January. From outside Shetland came several 'walk-in' helpers, a team of five from the Scottish Wildlife Trust
Scottish Wildlife Trust
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland.-Description:The Scottish Wildlife Trust has over 32,800 members...
and two from British Gas
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
, while some staff members from organisations such as the RSPB came north and helped out both on beaches and in key duties at the WRC. Volunteers were organised into teams of at least two and collected all dead and any live birds and animals from accessible beaches. Where possible, beaches were checked at least twice per day.
During the first few days of the spill, efforts were concentrated in the south-west Mainland, from Sandwick
Sandwick, Shetland
Sandwick is a township in the Shetland Islands, situated 13 miles south of Lerwick in the South Mainland. It comprises a number of distinct settlements in very close proximity to each other, each remaining distinct through being separated by agricultural land...
round to Maywick; but the northward spread of the oil up the west side meant that, by the 12th January, surveys had been extended to cover the longer stretches of accessible coastline in the Burra, Scalloway, Whiteness and Weisdale areas, and westwards as far as Culswick. In total, all the accessible beaches from Leebitten (east Mainland) round Sumburgh to the Dale of Walls (west Mainland) were checked during the course of the spill, which prompted the setting up of a forward 'command post' at Holmsgarth, Lerwick from where surveys of the 'northern' coasts were co-ordinated.
The total number of bird corpses recovered from beaches during January was 1538. Of these, 805 (52%) were found between Sumburgh Head and Garths Ness. Only 60 corpses (3.8%) were collected from beaches along the east coast, with the remainder scattered fairly evenly along the west coast between Spiggie and Sandsound, with smaller numbers further north and west to Dale. During the first week of the spill (6-12 January), very few corpses were found away from the area between Scatness and St. Ollie's Isle, and even in this area the majority were collected from the West Voe of Sumburgh, Scatness and Quendale. In the second week (13-19 January), fewer corpses were collected close to the Braer, and there was a corresponding increase in the number collected from further north on the west coast. This trend continued into the third week (20-26 January), but, by the fourth week (27-31 January), very few birds were found anywhere and there was no obvious tendency for more to be found in one area than another.
In any oil spill, it is difficult to estimate the proportion of the actual mortality found on beach surveys, and several factors made that even harder in the case of the Braer. The almost constant storms made it difficult to search shorelines as thoroughly as could have been done in calmer weather, and also made it much more difficult to catch live birds, some of which were driven inland by the wind. The weather also prevented systematic searches of the islands in Quendale Bay and further north, where birds were likely to have come ashore and died, while the exceptionally high tides at the time also compounded the problem, especially if they occurred in the middle of the day. For several days, beaches were completely underwater for the 6–7 hours of daylight available for surveys, with unreachable corpses simply moving back and forth in the surf. When tides did drop, many beaches had been completely rearranged or buried in tonnes of kelp by the heavy seas.
At Scatness
Scatness
Scatness is a settlement on the headland of Scat Ness at the southern tip of the South Shetland Mainland, Scotland, across the West Voe of Sumburgh from Sumburgh Head.Scatness includes the housing estates of Sanblister Place and Colonial Place....
, dead Shags
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
had been driven deep into cracks and crevices in the rocks or buried beneath the kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
, and sometimes just parts of a bird were found. In addition, the many small boulder beaches along the south-west coast could not be checked at all due to their inaccessibility, several corpses were likely to have been scavenged by the larger gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, and an unknown but almost certainly significant proportion will have been swept out to sea, never to be found.
Designation under the Protection of Wrecks (1973) Act
A designation under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks ActProtection of Wrecks Act 1973
The Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides protection for designated shipwrecks. Section 1 of the act provides for wrecks to be designated because of historical, archaeological or artistic value. Section 2 provides for designation of...
was made on 8 February 1993. This part of the act is used to designate wrecks categorised as dangerous. It was only the second time that Part 2 of the Act was used to designate a wreck site, and the designation was imposed because of the presence of the oil. The designation was revoked on 7 October 1994 following dispersal of the oil.
Memory
In 1995, British folk-rock band Fairport ConventionFairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
released the album Jewel in the Crown, including "The Islands" by Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
and Maartin Allcock
Maartin Allcock
Maartin Allcock , also known as Martin Allcock, is a multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer.-Biography:...
. The song defiantly commemorates the wreck of the Braer, personifying the sea as the protector of the British Isles.
External links
Shetlopedia.com has some very detailed information on the Braer.- The Braer Page - Overview of the Braer Disaster
- Introduction to the Braer disaster and to the available Braer articles
- Eywitness Account of the disaster. The eyewitness watched the Braer as she drifted ashore, and talks about the effects of this disaster on the local residents.
- Technical Information about the vessel
- The Last Hours of the Braer, from the time she left NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, to the time she grounded off Shetland - The Oil Spill - details of the oil, how it dispersed and the time scales involved
- Additional Braer Pics
- July 1993 Article from the New ScientistNew ScientistNew Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
. At the time it highlighted flaws in the British emergency plans for oil tanker accidents