ABSTRACTA significant oil leakage from the wreck of the passenger vessel Jupiter occurred in the proximity of Piraeus Port Entrance in Greece on September 9, 1999, caused probably by a major earthquake. Eleven years earlier, the vessel had sunk after a severe collision, with a considerable quantity of fuels and lubricants onboard. Underwater research revealed that the wreck was lying on the seabed at a depth of 75 meters and a distance of 1.2 nautical miles from the port entrance, within the traffic lines of ships while the oil was found to leak from several portholes and a watertight cargo door. After the responsible state authorities decided to remove oil from the wreck, preparatory work was initiated including the detection and marking of the exact position of fuel tanks and all leaking points, while a series of precautionary measures were implemented to ensure safety of navigation and the recovery of any accidental oil escape from the wreck. Using hot tapping technique, the oil remaining in fuel tanks was pumped out. Furthermore, oil entrapped in accommodations and other spaces was pumped out and released with use of compressed air. The whole operation lasted 43 days and resulted in the pumping out of approximately 1,225 barrels of oil and oily residues, and the subsequent effective protection of the wider marine area.
