Torrey Canyon Grounding, Cornwall
18 March 1967 · Seven Stones reef, off Cornwall, United Kingdom
The supertanker Torrey Canyon ran aground on the Seven Stones reef, spilling around 100,000 tonnes of crude oil. It was the first major tanker spill to receive worldwide television coverage.
Why it matters
Widely regarded as the event that triggered modern marine pollution law. It led directly to the 1969 amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL), the forerunner of MARPOL, and to the TORREMOLINOS Convention regime.