The castastrophic damage resulting from the sinking of the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz off the coast of Brittany had hardly disappeared from the headlines when the tanker Tanio suffered a similar fate in the same area. This 26,000-dwt vessel sank to a depth of 120 meters with its cargo of 10,000 tons of heavy oil, which is now being recovered.
The oil is being salvaged with a pump installation comprised of six Sulzer eight-stage casing pumps driven by 210-hp Sulzer diesel engines, each with a discharge capacity of 117 cubic meters/hour at a delivery head of 270 meters. The three circuits are each served by two pumps, whereby the water is preheated to 60 C in order to liquefy the coagulated oil:
An injection circuit forces seawater in the cargo tanks. This also prevents the hull of the ship from collapsing when the tanks are emptied. A flushing system sprays heated seawater onto the oil intake point. An ejection circuit, by means of underpressure, transfers the oil mixed with heated water to the tanks of a salvage tanker.
Simplified diagram showing the salvaging of oil from the Tanio. (1) Salvage tanker Port Joinville; (2) Preheater; (3) Six Sulzer pumps; (4) Pump column; (5) Wreck of the oil tanker Tanio.