16 March 1978 Amoco Cadiz runs aground

Amoco Cadiz was a large crude oil carrier sailing under the Liberian flag of convenience. It ran aground on Portsall Rocks, 5 km (3 miles) from the coast of Brittany, France, on 16 March 1978, and split in three. It subsequently sank, and resulted in the largest oil spill of its kind in history to that date.