1993 - Frank Michael

The German dry bulk carrier "Frank Michael" ran aground on October 10, 1993, north of the island of Gotland, Sweden in the Baltic Sea. The grounding was the result of a navigational error. The cargo of 1,100 tons of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate started to escape and dissolve in the surrounding water.

The German dry bulk carrier "Frank Michael" ran aground on October 10, 1993, north of the island of Gotland, Sweden in the Baltic Sea. The grounding was the result of a navigational error. The cargo of 1,100 tons of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate started to escape and dissolve in the surrounding water.

The Swedish competent authorities discussed the need to salvage the cargo. They weighed the cost versus the environmental benefit of such an operation taking into consideration factors such as the time of year and the favourable water turnover in the area. They also considered the negative effect of biochemical oxygen demand of the ammonium dihydrogen phosphate which, being a fertilizer, would enhance algal production and as a result consume dissolved oxygen in the water. One issue was what resources would be considered reasonable to dedicate to the salvage operation and the cost of operations. An indication of the cost was obtained by comparing the cost of processing the amount of phosphate in a sewage treatment plant. This cost was put forward as a proposed cost for the response. The competent authorities did not judge that the response efforts and their costs would correspond to a net environmental gain. There was therefore no effort made to stop the release of phosphate, however the bunker fuel oil was lightered.