The ''María Alejandra'' was a Spanish oil tanker built in 1975 in

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, Spain. She sank suddenly on high seas some 130-150 km off the coast west of Nouadhibou,

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

on 11 March 1980 after several internal explosions, presumably related to malfunctions in the inert gas system. Of the 43 people aboard, 36 perished. She was the penultimate ship built by Astilleros de Cádiz, (Cádiz) one of the main shipyards in Spain. Before its completion the original customer, the Italian company D'Amico Società di Navegazione, canceled the contract. Finally in 1977 she was acquired by Mar Oil, member of the Wilson Walton group, to bring oil from Ras Tanura in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

to refineries in Algeciras in southern Spain. During the return trip from Algeciras to Ras Tanura (on which her fatal accident happened) the ship was unloaded, on ballast.

Accident

On 4 March 1980 the ''María Alejandra'' arrived to Algeciras Bay and unloaded the oil she brought from the Persian Gulf in the

CEPSA Compañía Española de Petróleos, S.A.U. (''Spanish Petroleum Company''), commonly known as Cepsa, is a Spanish multinational oil and gas company. It operates in several European countries as well as in Algeria, Canada, Colombia, Morocco, Brazi ...

refinery. During unloading the crew found problems with the inert gas system, which prevents explosions in the holds. The unloading ended on 6 March and preparations for the next leg back to Ras Tanura started next. In the first hours of 8 March she left port again, however the problems with the inert gas system were not fully resolved yet, and the crew were working on them en route. After a stop at Las Palmas in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

she was sailing south along the western African coast headed for the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

and the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. At about 13:30 hours Spanish time on 11 March an explosion was felt aboard, suddenly followed by other explosions. According to the survivors the ship broke apart and sank in about 40 seconds.

References

External links

*http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1980/03/13/001.html *http://astilleroscadiz.buques.org/Construcciones/AESA/Ultimas%20Construcciones.htm *http://delamarylosbarcos.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/la-tragedia-del-petrolero-espanol-maria-alejandra/ *http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/SUAREZ/_ADOLFO/MAR_OIL/_SA/hay/esperanzas/encontrar/supervivientes/Maria/Alejandra/elpepiesp/19800314elpepinac_30/Tes {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Alejandra 1975 ships Maritime incidents in 1980 Oil tankers Ships built in Spain