From the archive: the Torrey Canyon oil spill disaster of 1967
by Richard Nelsson from on (#2G8RW)
How the Guardian reported the grounding of the Torrey Canyon supertanker and what was then the world's worst oil spill
On 18 March 1967, the Torrey Canyon, one of the world's biggest tankers, ran aground between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly, leaking more than 100,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea. It was the UK's worst oil spill to date, causing major environmental damage with more than 20,000 sea birds contaminated. The first Guardian report about the disaster appeared on 20 March.