Question

When did the Torrey Canyon oil spill happen?
A. 18 March 1961
B. 18 March 1964
C. 18 March 1967
D. 18 March 1969

Answer 1

Hint: Torrey Canyon oil spill was one of the world’s most serious oil spills. This oil spill affected hundreds of miles of coastline in Britain, France, Guernsey, and Spain, and other substances used in an effort to mitigate damage.

Complete answer: The Torrey Canyon is one of the world's biggest tankers. It ran aground between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly, leaking more than 100,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea. This accident took place on 18 March 1967. This oil spill remains the UK’s worst oil spill to date. On 19 February 1967, Torrey Canyon left the Kuwait National Petroleum Company refinery with a full cargo of crude oil. The ship had to reach Milford Haven in Wales. On March 14, the ship reached the Canary Islands. On 18 March 1967, after a navigational error, Torrey Canyon hit Pollard's Rock on Seven Stones reef between the Cornish mainland and the Isles of Scilly. Along with huge numbers of marine organisms, around 15,000 seabirds were also killed. They were clogged up with thick viscous oil and were washed up on the shores, both dead and alive. Due to this incident, future populations of some species took more than a decade to recover.

Hence, the correct answer is option c) 18 March 1967.

Note:Even 50 years after the ship hit the rocks, it is very clear that this incident still has a place in the heavy legacy of marine disasters. The British government was criticized strongly for the way it handled this incident as it was the costliest shipping disaster ever at that time.