MV Fedra
Encyclopedia
M/V Fedra was a Liberia
n-registered bulk-carrier
cargo ship
. It ran aground and smashed against Europa Point
, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar
on 10 October 2008 following severe gale
force winds measuring 12 on the Beaufort scale
. Spanish and Gibraltarian emergency services mounted a joint rescue operation, Gibraltar declared a Major Incident and requested the standby of additional statutory and voluntary emergency services (including St John Ambulance Gibraltar), although due to the safe rescue of all crew from the Fedra they were ultimately not needed.
Five of its 31 crew members were airlifted to safety by a Spanish
coast guard
helicopter and the rest were hoisted up by an improvised crane system. The vessel broke in half shortly thereafter.
About half of its 300 tons of fuel spilled into the sea. Some of such oil washed ashore along Gibraltar's western coast, particularly in the area of Rosia Bay and Camp Bay
. Spanish sources said that some fuel from the Fedra had washed up on some Campo
beaches having drifted as far as Tarifa
. There were also oil slicks in the Bay of Gibraltar
.
As at 15 February 2009 the forward section had been re-floated and towed round into the Bay of Gibraltar
and was moored alongside the South Mole in Gibraltar Harbour. The superstructure had been cut away from the hull of the aft section, and was on the dockside at HM Naval Base awaiting dismantling.
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n-registered bulk-carrier
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
. It ran aground and smashed against Europa Point
Europa Point
Europa Point, also called Great Europa Point, is the southernmost point of Gibraltar. At the end of Rock of Gibraltar, the area is flat and occupied by such features as a playing field and a few buildings...
, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 10 October 2008 following severe gale
Gale
A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
force winds measuring 12 on the Beaufort scale
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:...
. Spanish and Gibraltarian emergency services mounted a joint rescue operation, Gibraltar declared a Major Incident and requested the standby of additional statutory and voluntary emergency services (including St John Ambulance Gibraltar), although due to the safe rescue of all crew from the Fedra they were ultimately not needed.
Five of its 31 crew members were airlifted to safety by a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
coast guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
helicopter and the rest were hoisted up by an improvised crane system. The vessel broke in half shortly thereafter.
About half of its 300 tons of fuel spilled into the sea. Some of such oil washed ashore along Gibraltar's western coast, particularly in the area of Rosia Bay and Camp Bay
Camp Bay
Camp Bay is a small bay between Rosita Harbour and Sunset Fjord, in the west side of the Bay of Isles, South Georgia. It was charted in 1929 by DI personnel and so named because a temporary camp was set up on its southern shore....
. Spanish sources said that some fuel from the Fedra had washed up on some Campo
Campo de Gibraltar
The comarca of the Campo de Gibraltar is a comarca in the province of Cádiz, Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe...
beaches having drifted as far as Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...
. There were also oil slicks in the Bay of Gibraltar
Bay of Gibraltar
The Bay of Gibraltar is a bay at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It is around long by wide, covering an area of some , with a depth of up to in the centre of the bay...
.
As at 15 February 2009 the forward section had been re-floated and towed round into the Bay of Gibraltar
Bay of Gibraltar
The Bay of Gibraltar is a bay at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It is around long by wide, covering an area of some , with a depth of up to in the centre of the bay...
and was moored alongside the South Mole in Gibraltar Harbour. The superstructure had been cut away from the hull of the aft section, and was on the dockside at HM Naval Base awaiting dismantling.