''Sitakund'' was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

motor

oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cru ...

owned by Tschudi & Eitzen was sailing from

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

on 20 October 1968, when three explosions occurred, one of which tore a large hole in the side of the vessel. ''Sitakund'' burst into flames. Three crew members died in the explosion and subsequent fire, while the remaining 31 crew were treated in hospital for burns. The ''Sitakund'' had run aground, requiring that the tug ''Meeching'' come on site for rescue operations. She was beached on 21 October less than 2 km from

Beachy Head Beachy Head is a chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative area of Eastbourne Borough Council which owns the land, formi ...

.Newhaven Life Boat – Sitakund
The Eastbourne Fire Brigade, the crew of the ''Meeching'' and that of another tug from Dover fought the fire, however there was another explosion during the night, prompting the decision to leave the vessel to burn herself out. The insurers of the ship declared her a constructive total loss. She was later sent to Spain for

scrapping Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...

. Around 500 tonnes of bunker oil and ballast were released in the incident.

References

* HOOKE, Norman, 1997, Maritime Casualties 1963–1996, second edition, LLP Limited, Londres * IFP, ''Banques de données sur les accidents de navire ayant provoqué un déversement de pétrole en mer supérieur à 500 tonnes, 1955-1969'', Réf. 26 693, January 1979 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sitakund Tankers of Norway Ships built in Gothenburg Maritime incidents in England Maritime incidents in 1968 Ship fires Eitzen Group 1951 ships Oil tankers History of East Sussex