Publication of the investigation report on the sinking of a tanker ship on the Rhône on 18/02/2020.

Sinking of the PAMPERO, Tanker Vessel on 02/18/2020

On February 18, 2020, the PAMPERO, traveling up the Rhône, was moored in the lock chamber of the Sablons lock. The downstream gate of the lock failed, the ship was ejected from the chamber by the created current while its wheelhouse was torn off. It eventually stabilized. The crew managed to secure the tanker and then evacuated due to gas leaks. Crisis management was particularly complex due to the state of the ship and the product transported, as vinyl chloride is a toxic and highly flammable gas.

Vinyl Chloride, a Toxic Gas

Is the release of vinyl chloride gas really toxic?

Considering the CLP classification, from the Globally Harmonized System, it turns out that vinyl chloride is flammable and carcinogenic.

Indeed, inhalation of high doses (> 1000 ppm) or repeated doses can lead, beyond nausea and drowsiness, to bone damage, particularly in the fingers, but also to liver cancers.

Meanwhile, the ADR / ADN regulations only consider its flammable nature (Class 2.1) and not its toxic character (Class 2.3)

The transport can be carried out under the code UN1086, VINYL CHLORIDE, 2.1

For this product, transport can be done in packages or tanker vessels. In the case of a tanker vessel, the gas is considered unstable.

The tanker must be of type G with independent cargo tanks (type 1)