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home / archives / nature and the environment / pollution / 20th December 1976

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Community help!

With a rise in petrol prices going on as well, there was great risk to the environment when on 18th December, 1976, the 28,000 tonne tanker Bethouia ran aground in the Tamar River, Northern Tasmania. The area is also an important wild life reserve.

5 tonnes of lubricating oil and 90 tonnes of diesel were spilled. Fortunately off shore winds enabled off shore dispersal of the oil, but the incident highlighted the need for environmentally effective national responses to pollution incidents and was followed by a collection of reports from the Australian Department of Environment.