What is Oil Spill?

Oil Spills occur when petroleum leaks onto the surface of a large body of water, like the ocean. In the 1960s, it got worse because people were looking for more oil, doing things on the edges of continents, and using really big ships that could carry tons of oil. These ships got even bigger and older over time. Even though there are fewer spills now, about 706 million gallons of oil have spilled into the ocean.

In this article, we will take a look at the Effects, Causes, and Examples of various oil spills that have occurred throughout history.

Oil Spill

Oil Spill Definition

In simpler terms, a spill, according to the Oxford Learner Dictionary, is when a liquid comes or falls out of a container. When we talk about oil spills, it means that oil is leaking, especially into ocean waters. This leakage causes oil spill pollution, a type of pollution that significantly affects the oceans. When these oil spills happen on a large scale, they can have lasting impacts on the water, environment, marine life, and even the economy of a nation for many years. This is referred to as an oil spill disaster.

Some of the definitions of the oil spill are mentioned below:

• “Oil spill is a release of oil into the environment, either leaked or discharged from a ship, lorry, truck etc.” or ” an accidental release of oil into a body of water, as from a tanker, offshore drilling rig, or underwater pipeline, often presenting a hazard to marine life and the environment. ” – Collins Dictionary.
• “Oil spill is an accident in which oil has come out of a ship and caused pollution.” – Cambridge Dictionary.

Largest Oil Tanker Spills in History – Examples

Largest Oil Tanker Spills in History
1	Atlantic Empress	1979	off Tobago, West Indies	287,000	After a collision with another tanker, the Atlantic Empress caught fire and was towed 300 nautical miles out to sea, where it sank. Although its entire load of crude oil was lost, only minor ecological damage was reported on some island coastlines.
2	ABT Summer	1991	off Angola, southwestern Africa	260,000	Some 700 nautical miles off Angola, this tanker caught fire and sank with the loss of five crewmen. Its load of crude oil was lost, but no ecological damage was reported.
3	Castillo de Bellver	1983	off Saldanha Bay, South Africa	252,000	The Castillo de Bellver caught fire, broke in two, and sank. Its load of crude oil was dispersed by winds and currents. Only minor damage to wildlife and coastlines was reported.
4	Amoco Cadiz	1978	off Brittany, France	223,000	Suffering a failure of steering, the Amoco Cadiz grounded and broke in two. Its entire load of crude oil and ship fuel spilled, contaminating more than 300 km of Breton coastline and killing tens of thousands of birds and marine animals. Thousands of workers cleaned beaches and marshes in one of the largest oil-spill responses ever.
5	Haven	1991	Genoa, Italy	144,000	The Haven caught fire and broke apart. Some crude oil was recovered at sea, but some 100 km of coastline in Italy and France had to be cleaned mechanically.
6	Odyssey	1988	en route to Nova Scotia, Canada	132,000	Loaded with crude oil, the Odyssey broke in two and sank in the Atlantic Ocean 700 nautical miles from its destination. Because of the distance from land, no ecological damage was reported.
7	Torrey Canyon	1967	Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall, England	119,000	The Torrey Canyon ran aground and lost its entire load of crude oil, polluting coastlines in Cornwall as well as in the Channel Islands and in Brittany, France. Powerful solvents used in an attempt to disperse oil slicks were later determined to be more harmful to the environment than the spilled oil was.
8	Sea Star	1972	Gulf of Oman	115,000	The Sea Star, loaded with crude oil, collided with another tanker, burned, and sank with the loss of 12 crew members. No ecological damage was reported
9	Irenes Serenade	1980	Bay of Navarino, Greece	100,000	This tanker caught fire while refueling at the port of Pylos and sank. Some spilled crude oil and ship fuel was salvaged on the sea surface, but some drifted ashore and had to be cleaned by hundreds of workers onshore and in small boats.
10	Urquiola	1976	La Coruña, Spain	100,000	Loaded with crude oil, the Urquiola ran aground in port and burned, with the loss of its captain. Some oil was salvaged from the vessel, recovered from the sea surface, or dispersed by a heavy application of chemicals, but much nearby coastline was coated with oil and debris and was only partly cleaned.
11	Hawaiian Patriot	1977	en route to Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.	100,000	The Hawaiian Patriot cracked in a storm and then burned and sank 300 nautical miles from its destination, with the loss of a crew member. Ocean currents dissipated the spilled crude oil.
12	Independenţa	1979	near Istanbul, Turkey	95,000	The Independenţa struck another ship and burned at the southern end of the Bosporus, with the loss of 43 crew members. Most of the spilled crude oil burned, though some surrounding shorelines and beaches on the Sea of Marmara were fouled.
13	Jakob Maersk	1975	near Porto, Portugal	88,000	On entering the port of Leixões, the Jakob Maersk ran aground and burned, with the loss of seven crew members. Most of its spilled crude oil either burned or was contained and skimmed from the sea surface. Some drifted onto nearby beaches, which had to be cleaned mechanically and with dispersants.
14	Braer	1993	Shetland Islands, Scotland	85,000	Suffering engine failure in a storm, the Braer grounded at Sumburgh Head and broke up. High seas dispersed most of the spilled crude oil and ship fuel, but nearby salmon farms suffered large losses of stock.
15	Khark 5	1989	off the Atlantic coast of Morocco	80,000	En route to the Netherlands, the Khark 5 caught fire briefly some 400 miles north of the Canary Islands and 120 nautical miles off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. One-quarter of its load of crude oil spilled; most of this was dispersed by wind and wave action, though some was reported to have reached beaches near Casablanca, where it was cleaned up manually.
16	Aegean Sea	1992	La Coruña, Spain	74,000	Entering port in rough weather, this tanker grounded, broke in two, and burned briefly. Most of its load of crude oil spilled. Wave and wind action dispersed part of the spill, but some 300 km of shoreline was polluted, and fishery in the area was temporarily suspended.
17	Sea Empress	1996	Milford Haven, Wales	72,000	On entering port, the Sea Empress grounded and spilled half its load of crude oil before being refloated. Much of the spill evaporated, was dispersed, or was recovered from the sea surface. An effective response was mounted to clean some 200 km of polluted shoreline.
18	Nova	1985	off Kharg Island, Gulf of Iran	70,000
19	Katina P	1992	near Maputo, Mozambique, southeastern Africa	66,700	Damaged in a storm, the Katina P was grounded just offshore and spilled fuel oil from a hole in its hull. Most of the spill dispersed, but nearby mangroves were polluted, and shorelines were cleaned manually.
20	Prestige	2002	off Galicia, Spain	63,000	After suffering hull damage in severe weather, the Prestige was towed 130 nautical miles out to sea, where it sank. Much of the spilled load of heavy fuel oil was closely tracked and recovered at sea, and affected coastlines of northern Spain and western France were cleaned in well-coordinated responses.

Effects of Oil Spills on the Environment

Oil spills have various damaging effects on the environment. Some of these effects include:

1. When oil spills happen in the ocean, the oil forms a thick layer on the surface, known as slick. This layer expands and prevents sunlight from reaching ocean animals and plants.
2. The spillage affects the entire ecosystem’s food chain, causing a disturbance in the balance of marine life.
3. Some of the spilled oil breaks down and settles on the ocean floor, impacting the health of ocean life.
4. As oil spreads in the ocean, it breaks apart and sinks, leading to the deterioration of ocean health.
5. Oil spills contaminate the natural habitats of the ocean, affecting various species and their ecosystems.
6. Coastal areas suffer severe consequences as birds and sea mammals become covered in oil. The spill also damages sand, animals, grass, and soil near coastlines.
7. Oil damages everything near coastlines, causing destruction to the environment.
8. Oil that spills into the ocean can pose health risks for people who consume seafood.
9. Marine animals swimming in the ocean can be harmed if they ingest oil, leading to destructive consequences.

Oil Spill Causes

Oil spills can occur due to various causes, including:

1. Oil spills can happen on land or at sea when there are leaks from ships, oil wells, pipelines, and other transportation vessels.
2. Accidents involving large vessels like tankers, refineries, and drilling rigs can lead to oil spills.
3. Oil spills can be caused by problems in storage facilities where oil is kept.
4. The large-scale production of oil in millions of units can result in significant transportation, increasing the risk of oil spills.
5. Mistakes or carelessness by people involved in the oil industry can lead to spills.
6. Malfunction or breaking of equipment used in oil exploration, extraction, or transportation can contribute to oil spills.
7. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or tsunamis can cause oil spills.
8. Oil spills may also occur as a result of illegal activities related to the oil industry.

Remedies to Control Oil Spills

• If there’s a leak, find it and fix it.
• Put on your protective gear (PPE) and make sure the area is safe. Look out for slippery spots, and mark them with cones and barricades.
• To stop the spill from spreading, use things like booms and spill berms.
• Make sure the oil doesn’t go into drains. Seal up floor drains, drain inlets, and curb inlets.
• Clean up the spill using spill kits, absorbent pads, and special granular stuff for oil.
• When cleaning, use the granular oil sorbents – they work better than sand.
• Put the dirty granular stuff or sand in containers and mark them as “contaminated with used oil.” Get rid of these containers using a company that handles environmental disposal.
• When storing large amounts of stuff (Bulk Stg), make sure to use spill pallets. These can contain 110% of the biggest container, so even if there’s a spill, it’s all caught. This helps keep things safe.
• For safety, buy equipment and tanks that have two walls (double-walled).
• When transferring oil, use drum funnels.
• Be really careful when dealing with barrels, especially those with chemicals. If a freight company brings barrels, let them handle the unloading. They should use their lift to put the barrels down and move them with a hand dolly. Never use forklift blades to unload barrels – it’s not allowed.

Interesting Facts about Oil Spills

1. International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC): This international organization helps in compensating victims of oil spills and contributes to the development of measures to prevent and respond to oil pollution.
2. World Bank Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals: The World Bank plays a role in promoting sustainable practices in the oil, gas, mining, and chemical industries, aiming to minimize environmental impacts, including oil spills.
3. United Nations Environment Program – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC): UNEP-WCMC focuses on monitoring and conserving the world’s biodiversity. In the context of oil spills, it likely contributes expertise and guidance on environmental conservation.
4. In addition to these international bodies, there are also many national and regional associations of oil industries. These associations often collaborate with government agencies to establish and enforce safety and environmental regulations to prevent oil spills and manage their consequences effectively.

Conclusion

While major oil spills from damaged supertankers are now uncommon due to strict shipping and environmental rules, numerous smaller spills still happen. These can result from well discharges, tanker operations, or the unintentional release of used gasoline solvents and crankcase lubricants by industries and individuals. Despite efforts to prevent them, thousands of minor and a few major oil spills are reported each year. The total amount of oil released into the world’s oceans annually exceeds one million metric tons. Collaboration between national and international organizations promotes a thorough and well-coordinated strategy for avoiding, reacting to, and lessening the effects of oil spills globally.

FAQs on Oil Spill

What problems do oil spills cause?

Oil spills can result in closures of beaches, parks, waterways, and recreational and commercial fisheries. 

What was the biggest oil spill in the world?

The largest accidental oil spill in history began in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, after a surge of natural gas blasted through a cement well cap that had recently been installed to seal a well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.

What are some effects of oil spills?

The main oil spill effects include a variety of diseases, negative economic impact, pollution with crude oil or petroleum products (distillates such as: gasoline, diesel products, jet fuels, kerosene, fuel oil, as well as heavy distillates like hydraulic and lubricating oils).

What are 3 negative effects of an oil spill?

Oil spills can harm sea creatures, ruin a day at the beach, and make seafood unsafe to eat.

How is oil affecting the environment?

 Oil and gas operations could release many tons of harmful pollutants into the air and discharge dangerous chemicals into the water, thereby degrading the clean air and water that polar bears, whales, walrus—and humans—depend on for survival.