The Incomparable History Of Ireland

Big Oil Brings Disaster to Ireland

Lauren

Send us a text

The Whiddy Island disaster was a catastrophic event on January 8, 1979, when the French oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded at the Gulf Oil terminal in Bantry Bay, Ireland, killing 50 people (49 on the ship/jetty and one diver later) and causing immense destruction, ultimately attributed to structural failure, inadequate maintenance, and cost-cutting measures by the tanker's operator, Total S.A., leading to severe buckling and explosions while discharging oil

Support the show

Irish Mythology - Mythical Cycle - Book of Invasions