Major oil spill in history
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11 Major Oil Spills Of The Maritime World
The oil gushing from the well where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank is now spreading through the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spills can kill wildlife, pollute the air and water, and alter the ecosystem for years to come.
Many of us think of the Exxon Valdez oil spill as a particularly bad one, but with about 42, tons of oil spilled, it doesn't rank as one of the 10 worst ever.
In November , the American-owned oil tanker Odyssey split in two miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. The tanker spewed about , tons of crude oil into the sea and caught fire as it sank, setting the spill aflame.
Because of hazardous weather conditions, the Canadian Coast Guard could not immediately reach the spill, and much of the oil burned. A violent explosion aboard the Cyprus-based tanker the Haven killed six members of the crew and spilled , tons of oil off the coast of Italy in April About 70 percent of the oil burned in the ensuing fire.
In most oil spills , oil remains near the surface of the water, but in this spill some of it sank. Oil from the Haven was later found in ocean beds at depths of up to 1, feet meters. The ship split in two and quickly sank before its 1,, barrels of oil load could be pumped from the wreck.
In August , a fire aboard the Castillo de Bellver led to an explosion that caused the tanker to break in two. Oil spilled into the sea 24 miles off the coast of Cape Town, marking the largest spill to date in South Africa.
Luckily, the oil caused minimal environmental damage as the direction of the wind moved the oil slick offshore, where it dissipated naturally. ABT Summer tanker, traveling from Iran to Rotterdam, leaked oil and caught on fire about miles off the Angolan coast in The disaster killed five of the 32 crew members on board. During the first Gulf War , a tanker collided with a platform on Feb. The well was finally capped by Iran in September of that year — an effort that resulted in the deaths of 11 people.
The Fergana Valley, one of Central Asia's most densely populated agricultural and industrial areas, was the site of the largest inland oil spills in history in In July , a Greek oil tanker called the Atlantic Empress collided with another ship, the Aegean Captain, during a tropical storm off of the island of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea. The Atlantic Empress disaster killed 26 crew members and is the largest ship-based oil spill.
The oil drilling platform then caught fire and collapsed, rupturing valves and making it difficult for rescue personnel to control the damage. The spill continued until March Gulf War oil spill: 1,, -1,, tons. The worst oil spill in history, the Gulf War oil spill spewed an estimated 8 million barrels of oil into the Persian Gulf after Iraqi forces opened valves of oil wells and pipelines as they retreated from Kuwait in The oil slick reached a maximum size of miles by 42 miles and was five inches thick.
Live Science. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig, Deepwater Horizon on April 21, The rig, located 51 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, exploded on April 20,
The Castillo de Bellver Oil Spill (). The Incidents at the Nowruz Oil Field ().
The oil gushing from the well where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank is now spreading through the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spills can kill wildlife, pollute the air and water, and alter the ecosystem for years to come. Many of us think of the Exxon Valdez oil spill as a particularly bad one, but with about 42, tons of oil spilled, it doesn't rank as one of the 10 worst ever. In November , the American-owned oil tanker Odyssey split in two miles off the coast of Nova Scotia.
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters , but spills may also occur on land.
Almost all the mistakes we make harm the environment and the species on the planet in one way or another. While some human errors affect nature eventually, few make immediate and huge impacts on the environment, with even ending the lives of thousands of species at a time. When the incidents like wildfire and bombing end up destroying the environment in a minute of time on land, it is events such as oil spills that put our seas and oceans into trouble in a short period of time.
List of oil spills
This is a reverse-chronological list of oil spills that have occurred throughout the world and spill s that are currently ongoing. Quantities are measured in tonnes of crude oil with one tonne roughly equal to US gallons , Imperial gallons , 7. This calculation uses a median value of 0. They are also estimates, because the actual volume of an oil spill is difficult to measure exactly. Note: The "flow rate" column applies to leaking wells, pipelines, etc. The "full cargo" column applies to vessels, vehicles, etc.
10 Biggest Oil Spills in History
Cleaner Seas. Oil spills are one of the main factors that cause long term adverse effect on marine life. The spills take months to clean up and can result in death of thousands of marine animals and birds. It has been found out that, despite all cleaning efforts, considerable amount of oil remains in the area affected by spill, causing long term environmental problems. Furthermore, the use of dispersants in an attempt to reduce the amount of oil left in the ocean, actually causes the oil to break down into smaller components, which pose even a greater threat for ocean life, as they find their way into the food chain, gradually poisoning the environment. Oil spills have also played a significant role in near extinction of several species of fish and marine animals. For example, Atlantic bluefin tuna and dwarf seahorse became nearly extinct as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
All rights reserved. The Exxon Valdez was the worst oil spill in U.
Update: According to new estimates released on Aug. This makes it the largest accidental spill of all time, though still likely smaller than the intentionally-caused Gulf War spill. If current estimates for the Deepwater Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico are correct, the massive spill could eventually dwarf that of Exxon Valdez spill of — previously the largest in U. At a rate of 5, barrels a day, for an estimated 90 days, well over 20 million gallons of crude could be pumped out onto the Louisiana coastline.
Top 10 Worst Oil Spills
We use them to give you the best experience. If you continue using our website, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on this website. With this in mind, Offshore Technology takes a look at the five biggest oil spills worldwide and the key reasons behind them to uncover what lessons can be learned to prevent repeating mistakes of the past. Biggest oil spills 1: million gallons Gulf War — Persian Gulf — 19 January The biggest oil spill on the list was technically not an accident. During the first Gulf War, Iraqi troops retreating from Kuwait opened the valves of several offshore oil wells and pipelines to slow down the approaching US Army. The aftermath resulted in one of the biggest oil spills in world history, with around million gallons of crude oil flowing into the Persian Gulf, according to government sources. The 4in-thick oil slick spread across an area the size of Hawaii. View Results. On 20 April, an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig caused oil to gush from the sea-floor 5,ft below. The blast itself killed 11 workers on the platform and injured 17 others.
10 Worst Oil Spills in World History
The oil industry has provided trillions of gallons of affordable fuel and other petroleum products since the first commercial oil well was drilled in Since that first oil well started pumping, thousands of oil spills have occurred on land and at sea. Oil wells, pipelines, and oil tankers have all been sources of some major accidental leaks. Here are what Wikipedia and Cleaner Seas together identify as the biggest oil spills in history. If intentional oil spills were considered, the Gulf War oil spill in would be the largest ever, and by a wide margin. The following list goes from largest to smallest based on the estimated amount of oil spilled. The environmental impact of a spill varies widely by location, type, the volume of oil, and other factors. The financial cost of each spill would likewise depend on a range of factors aside from the volume of oil spilled.
