Don Pedro

History and context

The Don Pedro was a con-ro cargo ship (roll-on cargo and containers) of the Balearic shipping line Iscomar, built in 1984 at the Astander yard in Santander, 141.55 metres long with an 18.67 m beam. In the early hours of 11 July 2007, minutes after leaving the port of Ibiza bound for Valencia, at 02:52 she struck the shoal beside the Dado Pequeño islet (es Daus, of the Dados group), right at the harbour mouth. The impact tore a large breach in the hull that flooded the holds unstoppably. The ship went down around 04:05, 1.4 miles southeast of the port. A Salvamento Marítimo vessel rescued all 20 people aboard unharmed: 18 crew (11 Spaniards, including the captain, three Cubans, three Hondurans and one Peruvian) and two passengers. The accident was investigated by the commission of the then Ministry of Public Works, whose official report attributes the sinking to the strike on the Dados rock. The Don Pedro sank with some 150 tonnes of fuel for her own consumption, part of which formed a slick of about 4 kilometres that reached the beaches of Talamanca, ses Figueretes and Platja d'en Bossa and threatened the ses Salines natural park at the height of the season. After the fuel was extracted and the hull decontaminated, the wreck — lying on her port side on a sandy bottom — was opened to diving and is today one of the largest divable wrecks in the Mediterranean, reserved for experienced divers.

Sinking date

11 July 2007 (struck at 02:52, sank around 04:05)

Length

141.55 m (con-ro built in 1984 at Astander, Santander)

Cause

Struck the shoal by the Dado Pequeño islet (es Daus) leaving Ibiza harbour

Rescued

All 20 people unharmed (18 crew and 2 passengers), no casualties

Spill

Some 150 t of fuel aboard; a ~4 km slick that reached Talamanca, ses Figueretes and Platja d'en Bossa

Wreck depth

Between roughly 26 and 46 m