The MS ''Oliva'' was a
bulk carrier
A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, eco ...
launched in 2009. On 16 March 2011, due to the risky navigation of trying to achieve the minimal allowed clearance of Nightingale Island of 10
nmi, and due to human error in navigation reducing the actual clearance to zero, the ship went aground off
Nightingale Island
Nightingale Island is an active volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, in area, part of the Tristan da Cunha group of islands. They are administered by the United Kingdom as part of the overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tri ...
,
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena a ...
, in the
South Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, at 4 am while on a voyage from
Santos,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
to
China with a cargo of
soya beans.
The ship broke in two and was a total loss. All 22 crew were rescued. More than 800 tons of fuel oil leaked from the ship and coated some 20,000
northern rockhopper penguin
The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin (''Eudyptes moseleyi'') is a penguin species native to the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockhopper penguin.
...
s. The remains of the ship have been left to be claimed by the ocean. There is an area of soya bean deposits and reduced sealife around the wreck due to the cargo of soya bean removing the oxygen from the water.
Lifeboat
In February 2013, a lifeboat from the ''Oliva'' washed up on a beach in the
Coorong National Park
Coorong National Park is a protected area located in South Australia about south-east of Adelaide, that predominantly covers a coastal lagoon ecosystem officially known as The Coorong and the Younghusband Peninsula on the Coorong's southern ...
in south-east
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
The lifeboat was later put on display adjacent to the former
Cape Jaffa lighthouse in
Kingston SE
Kingston SE (Kingston South East to distinguish it from Kingston-on-Murray) formerly Kingston is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's south-east coastline on the shores of Lacepede Bay. It is located about ...
, South Australia where it forms part of the town's National Trust maritime display.
References
External links
Tristan da Cunha website: MS ''Oliva'' Disaster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliva
Bulk carriers
Ships built in China
Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
History of Tristan da Cunha
Oil spills
2009 ships
Ships of Malta
March 2011 events in Africa