Time the ship sank: 13 November, 2001 Prestige Built: 1976 Weight: 42,000 tons Cargo:77,000 tons of oil Owners: Mare Shipping Registered: Bahamas (Tanker sustained a 9-15 metre crack below the waterline)

What Happened

13,November,2001, one of the biggiest oil spill appeared as a old, single-hulled called Prestge tragically sank into the deep waters of the Bay of Biscay. As far as searchers can tell, the Prestige was on it’s way to Latvia and just as it reached the Galician coastline also known as the "Coast of Death" sinking at that most tragical place.

Seachers don’t know what caused the ship to sink , but a 9 to 15 metre crack is suspected to be the cause of its sink.

The sinking happened in Spain.

The bow of the Prestige was the first to go under water, followed a few hours later by the rear of the vessel, which had been carrying at least 70,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil.

The Greek-owned Prestige - an old, single-hulled ship - was on its way from Latvia to Gibraltar when it ran into trouble in rough seas and gale-force winds along a portion of Galician coastline known as the "Coast of Death". Reports state that an estimated 3,000 tonnes of fuel have already leaked into the sea, creating a slick around 20 miles long.