ABSTRACT
In the early hours of Sunday, July 21, 1991, the laden tanker Kirki was approaching the Australian coast in heavy weather when the bow section broke away from the main structure and sank. The vessel was on passage from the Middle East to Australia loaded with light crude oil. Fire was seen to break out forward, and the master transmitted a Mayday signal, which resulted in a successful rescue by the Australian authorities.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was some 55 miles off the coast of Western Australia. The initial loss of oil and the threat of severe pollution of the coastline required the activation of the Australian National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and its associated state and oil industry plans.
This paper details the actions taken, addresses the lessons learned by the authorities and agencies involved, and lists the recommendations arising out of the actions taken to respond to the pollution aspects of the incident. It does not deal in detail with the distress and rescue details, but touches only on those areas that provide background to the subsequent pollution response.
