ABSTRACT
The grounding of the 109 700-tonne supertanker Amoco Cadiz contaminated 20 miles of the French coast and led to newspaper headlines such as 'Black tide fouls beach in Brittany'. The steering-gear and related equipment of the Amoco Cadiz complied with all existing international regulations; this raised doubts about their adequacy. The disaster highlighted both the basic weakness of the single hydraulic circuit, almost universally employed in the ram and rotary vane types of steering-gear, and the drastic potential consequences of the failure of the steering-gear of a large tanker. The judge concluded that Amoco International Oil Company, the operator, 'negligently performed its duty to ensure that the Amoco Cadiz in general and its steering-gear in particular were seaworthy, adequately maintained and in proper repair'. The judge noted that Amoco Cadiz's steering-gear in the last four months of its life was losing 7 to 12 litres of hydraulic fluid per day.
