Most times when there is a presentation about tanker casualties, the first slide to be shown is the burning wreck of the Torrey Canyon.
The first big tanker pollution disaster half-a-century ago was a watershed moment in the evolution of spill response, with last weekend’s anniversary marked by reminiscences from the dwindling band of those involved in the loss.
Much has changed over the last 50 years, with the pollution record of tankers massively improved, but the risk of blackened beaches and oil-bedraggled seabirds hitting the headlines has not disappeared.
“The
