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Eleni V

1978

Cat no. 205071

Anglia Television investigates the Eleni V oil disaster.

An Anglia Television special for the 'Probe' series, examining the supposed indecision and ineptitude of government officials in dealing with an oil spill off the Norfolk coast, and the lack of international agreement on shipping safety standards. A staged explosion destroys the bow of the Greek oil tanker Eleni V, separated from the rest of the ship following a collision with another merchant vessel in heavy fog, but not before it has drifted in the North Sea for twenty-five days, spilling thousands of tonnes of oil onto the East Anglian coastline. The intricacies of the case, the safety of cross-channel shipping and the recent history of maritime disasters in the region are explored in interviews with the Junior Minister for Trade, Stanley Clinton Davis, and the managing director of a maritime salvage company, as well as various politicians, industry spokesmen, company officials and experts. Despite the best efforts of HM Coastguard, the policing of shipping in the Channel proves difficult, with international inquiries held in Paris and London to address the lack of international standards. The programme concludes with people cleaning up the oil ravaged East Anglian coastline, and the summation that 'the path to international agreement is a long and hard one...meanwhile, we wait and periodically mop up the oil'.

Featured Buildings

Houses of Parliament, London; St Margaret's Bay Coastguard Station

Featured Events

Eleni V oil spill, 1978

Keywords

English Channel; Environment; Government; International law; Marine; Maritime; Oil disasters; Oil spills; Oil tankers; Politics; Pollution; Shipping; United Nations

Other Places

Great Yarmouth, Suffolk; Lowestoft, Suffolk; Paris, France; St Margaret's Bay, Kent; Westminster, Greater London

  • Production company : Anglia Television

Manifestations

Eleni V

Copyright restrictions apply.

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