General Discussion

Readers may be interested in the origins of this clip. It was a spoof done on an Australian TV show called A Current Affair. ‘Senator Collins’ is well-known comedian John Clarke.

The show took place following the oil spill from the tanker Kirki off Western Australia in 1991 where the bow of the tanker was literally ripped off in rough weather. During the incident and the subsequent moving of the tanker to safety more than 17,000 tonnes of light crude was lost.

Despite the adverse weather conditions, all 37 crew were successfully rescued and the helicopter pilots involved were commended for their skill. Following the clean-up, the Kirki was towed to Singapore and scrapped.