Grande America

Grande America was a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship built by Fincantieri in 1997, owned and operated by Grimaldi Lines, a subsidiary of Grimaldi Group. It sank in the Bay of Biscay in March 2019.

Grande America
Grande America, Casablanca, c.2016.
History
Name: Grande America
Owner: Grimaldi Group
Operator: Grimaldi Lines
Builder: Fincantieri
Identification: IBPG
Fate: sank Bay of Biscay, March 2019
General characteristics
Class and type: cargo ship
Type: Ro-Ro/Container Carrier
Tonnage: 27,965 t (27,523 long tons; 30,826 short tons)
Displacement: 56,642 t (55,747 long tons; 62,437 short tons)
Length: 214 m (702 ft)
Beam: 31 m (102 ft)
Installed power: 1 diesel engine
Propulsion: single shaft, 1 screw
Speed: 14.5 kn (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph)

Sinking
Grande America in 2016 near Casablanca.

On 10 March 2019, Grande America caught fire while traveling the Atlantic Ocean between France and Spain on its route from Hamburg (Germany) to Casablanca (Morocco), and sank 4,600 m (15,100 ft) into the Bay of Biscay on 12 March.[1][2] The 27 people on board were rescued by the Royal Navy ship HMS Argyll after they abandoned ship on 11 March.[3] After their lifeboat's engine broke down entering the water, a Royal Navy sea boat towed it to safety in a 6 m (20 ft) swell. Leading Seaman David Groves, the sea boat coxswain , was later awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his bravery in the rescue.[4]

Oil spill
Grande America oil spill
LocationBay of Biscay, France
Coordinates46.068889°N 5.784444°W / 46.068889; -5.784444
Date12 March 2019 (2019-03-12)
Cause
CauseFoundering of the Grande America cargo ship
OperatorGrimaldi Lines
Spill characteristics
Volumeca. 2,200 tonnes (4,900,000 lb) marine fuel (metric tonnes)
Areaca. 10 km (6.2 mi) × 1 km (0.62 mi)

An oil spill of about 10 km (6.2 mi) in length and 1 km (0.62 mi) in width began moving towards the French coast line, threatening the areas around La Rochelle, Biarritz and Vendée.[5] The ship was carrying 365 containers, of which 45 contained material deemed to be hazardous, including 10 tonnes of hydrochloric acid and 70 tonnes of sulfuric acid.[6]

The ship contained dozens of vehicles that were to be delivered to Brazilian importers, including 37 Porsche vehicles. Four of these were Porsche's last units of the 911 GT2 RS, which went out of production in February 2019. The sinking led to Porsche reactivating the production line for the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, so that these four last units could be delivered to their owners in Brazil.[7] The ship was also transporting dozens of Audi cars, including RS4 and RS5 models.[8]

The wreck was located by Island Pride (a vessel leased to Ocean Infinity).[9] It arrived 30 March and started inspecting the wreck site using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs).[10] The ROVs were used to seal light leaks of oil discovered during the inspection.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Fire-Stricken Grande America Sinks off France". Worldmaritimenews.com. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. "Grimaldi confirm Grande America fire started in container cargo". FreightWaves.com. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. "Royal Navy rescues container ship crew after it goes up in flames in Bay of Biscay (The Independent)". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. "Queen's Gallantry Medal for dramatic rescue sailor". BBC NEWS. 25 February 2020.
  5. "Nach Schiffsuntergang droht Frankreichs Küste eine Ölpest". Tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  6. "Grande America: France braces for oil spill damage after ship blaze". 14 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  7. Mate Petrany (19 March 2019). "Porsche Is Restarting 911 GT2 RS Production to Replace Cars Lost at Sea". Road and Track. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  8. Michael Karkafiris (19 March 2019). "Cargo Ship Carrying New 911 GT2 RS' Sinks, Porsche To Resume Production Of Model (Update)". Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. "Ocean Infinity to Conduct AUV Surveys for Petrobras". www.oedigital.com. 16 January 2019.
  10. "GRANDE AMERICA: Cargo Ship". www.vesseltracker.com. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  11. "Grande America Leaks Plugged 4,600 Meters Below Surface". www.worldmaritimenews.com. 23 April 2019.
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