Neil Eliot's Walkley Award-winning photograph of the Kirki after its front fell off
Neil Eliot's Walkley Award-winning photograph of the Kirki after its bow broke off
History
Greece (as of 1991)
NameKirki
OwnerKirki Shipping Corporation SA
OperatorMayamar Marine Enterprises of Liberia
Port of registryPiraeus
Completed1969
In service1969
Out of service1991
FateBroken up for scrap in Singapore
General characteristics
TypeSupertanker (Aframax)
Tonnage97,000 GT
Capacity82,650 t (81,340 long tons; 91,110 short tons)
Crew37
Notes[1]

The Kirki was a 210-metre-long Greek-registered oil tanker which caught fire in the early morning of 21 July 1991, 30 km west of the fishing town of Cervantes, Western Australia, causing what at the time was the worst oil spill to have occurred in Australian waters.[2][3] The ship encountered severe weather and rough seas, which caused leaks and a buildup of water in the ship's ballast, creating unanticipated strain on the structure. This eventually resulted in the ship's bow tearing off, rupturing the forward storage tanks and causing an oil spill estimated at 17,700 tons, or 5.2 million gallons.[4][5] The oil then caught fire, ignited by damaged electrical cables that were short-circuiting on the severed part of the bow.

The crew sent out a distress call at 3:02am on 21 July, and after it became clear how dire the situation was, the 37-strong crew were evacuated by Australian rescue helicopters over the next few hours. After the fire was confirmed to be extinguished, the still-leaking ship was towed to Cape Preston by a number of tugboats and an oil rig support vessel, the Lady Kathleen, where the remaining light crude oil and heavy fuel oil were transferred to another tanker, the Flying Clipper, on 18 August. Kirki was then towed to Singapore, where it was drydocked and dismantled for scrap.[6][7]

The condition of the ship was described as "very sick" by the salvage team, including repetitious and persistent equipment failure.[3] The Australian government investigation identified many issues, including the ballast tank lids had rusted through and the holes had been covered in canvas and painted on both sides to hide the condition on the lids.[8]

An image by freelance photographer Neil Eliot depicting the crippled ship without its bow, and with a "fireball exploding out of" its broken front section, was adjudged the winner of the 1991 Walkley Award for Best News Photograph.[9] A posthumous online tribute to Eliot describes the image as 'graphically bringing home the full drama of the occasion'.[10]

The incident was also the subject of a now-famous sketch on Australian comedy program Clarke and Dawe, titled "The Front Fell Off".[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ "Kirki, 21 July 1991". Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Kirki oil transfer near completion". The Canberra Times. 16 August 1991. Retrieved 21 April 2016 – via Trove.
  3. 1 2 "Kirki, Western Australia, 21 July 1991". Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Burning Tanker Spills Oil in Waters off Perth". The New York Times. 22 July 1991. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Oil Spills in the Australian Marine Environment: Environmental Consequences and Response Technologies". ResearchGate. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "Kirki, 21 July 1991". www.amsa.gov.au. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "Investigation: 33 - Loss of Greek registered oil tanker Kirki en route to Kwinana". www.atsb.gov.au. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  8. ↑ Investigation into the loss of the Bow Section of the Motor Vessel Kirki (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 2 April 1992. p. 77. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Walkley Awards for Journalism". Australian Financial Review. AAP. 19 November 1991. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Neil Eliot 1955 - 2007". Press Photography in Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Chappell, Bill (10 April 2017). "John Clarke, Who Made Fake News Hilarious, Is Mourned In Australia And New Zealand". NPR. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Clarke and Dawe. "The Front Fell Off". YouTube. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
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