acid tanker sinking

**warriorgunner** · 31-01-2006, 09:33

just heard on news that a tanker with sulphuric acid is sinking off guernsey.

bbc news 31/1/06

**cooky** · 31-01-2006, 09:54

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4664564.stm

Fred Caygill said the 8,000 tonne tanker was "significantly damaged", but dismissed fears that the chemical, widely used in the food industry, could harm the waters.

"Phosphoric acid does not pose a pollution threat. It has dissolved in the sea", he said.

an 8000 ton tanker carrying 10'000 tonnes

**cuda** · 31-01-2006, 10:08

Allegedly the acid will form a surface slick before being duluted. Hopefully however many thousand tonnes of acid will be diluted so much by an ocean that it will have no effect?

What's worse is that Radio for Toady Programme said that the French dispatched a coastguard / lifeboat from Guernsey........don't they mean that they asked us nicely if we would mind helping out?

The implication was that Guernsey is French, well they'll have to fight for it (=surrender!)

Cuda

**warriorgunner** · 31-01-2006, 10:18

cool just thought ide drop a line to my fellow anglers in the channel islands about what ide heard on this mornings news!!

**Guern211** · 31-01-2006, 13:30

Collision was about 2a.m. and the "Guernsey" not french lifeboat was called out plus a helicopter from U.K. I think. All crew safe and well in Guernsey at the moment. French tugs/navy are attempting to salvage the tanker from about 5a.m today.

Not heard anything about the bulk carrier it collided with just that the tanker is damaged? As said though the damage if it goes down though should hopefully be minimal as it's an additive to fizzy drinks!

Just got to be thankful its not a cap de la hague nuclear shipment!!!

**Steinbeisser** · 31-01-2006, 22:31

The sea is naturally chemically buffered (at around pH 8.2, I think, compared to neutral pH 7.0). i.e. if you pour acid or alkali into sea water, there are various chemical salts in the sea water that react with the acid or alkali to keep the pH of the sea water around 8.2, rather than pH 1.0, which is probably what the concentrated phosphoric acid would be at. (At that strength it is quite nasty stuff, but as was reported, there is not a significant pollution risk, unlike organic chemicals or oil products).

Carbonated fizzy drinks are actually quite low in pH due to the CO2 also!!

Steinbeisser