10 Biggest Oil Spills in History

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 42,800 tons of oil spilled, it doesn’t rank as one of the 10 worst ever.

So here I have compiled a list of some of the biggest oil spills in history. I hope you will find it informative.

The Odyssey
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0cd1c594d9a1.jpg[/atsimg]

In November 1988, the American-owned oil tanker Odyssey split in two 700 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. The tanker spewed about 132,000 tons of crude oil into the sea and caught fire as it sank, setting the spill aflame.

The Haven
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f143526587ba.jpg[/atsimg]

A violent explosion aboard the Cyprus-based tanker the Haven killed six members of the crew and spilled 145,000 tons of oil off the coast of Italy in April 1991. About 70 percent of the oil burned in the ensuing fire. Oil from the Haven was later found in ocean beds at depths of up to 1,640 feet.

The Amoco Cadiz
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/edb8fb061d62.jpg[/atsimg]

Stormy weather drove the Amoco Cadiz Very Large Crude Carrier aground on the Portsall Rocks, a 90-foot deep outcrop off the coast of Brittany, France, in 1978. The ship split in two and quickly sank before its 1,604,500 barrels of oil load could be pumped from the wreck.

Castillo de Bellver: 250,000 Tons
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/22d24dbed5e6.jpg[/atsimg]

In August 1983, 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: 260,000 Tons
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/69c2f8e26159.jpg[/atsimg]

ABT Summer tanker, traveling from Iran to Rotterdam, leaked oil and caught on fire about 700 miles off the Angolan coast in 1991. The disaster killed five of the 32 crew members on board.

Nowruz oil field
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/43f1ef0f797c.jpg[/atsimg]

During the first Gulf War, a tanker collided with a platform on Feb. 10, 1983, spilling approximately 1,500 barrels each day, until the platform was attacked by Iraqi planes in March and the slick caught fire. The Nowruz oil field was not immediately capped, because the field was located in the middle of the Iran/Iraq war zone.

Fergana Valley: 285,000 Tons
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e9126e481d0a.jpg[/atsimg]

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 1992.

Atlantic Empress/Aegean Captain: 287,000 Tons
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f0e2a0cd8f82.jpg[/atsimg]

In July 1979, 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.

Ixtoc I oil well: 454,000 Tons
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1351cd630acf.jpg[/atsimg]

The Ixtoc I oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in June 1979. 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 1980.

Gulf War oil spill: 1,360,000 -1,500,000 Tons
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/9dfc998fa63d.jpg[/atsimg]

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 1991. The oil slick reached a maximum size of 101 miles by 42 miles and was five inches thick.

I had no idea about 90% of these spills, I live in Alaska and always thought the Exxon Valdez incident was one of the worst spills, if not the worst, but it didn't even make the list.

I can't help but wonder if the new Gulf of Mexico spill will end up on this list hopefully its stopped soon.

List Source

Excellent Post. Star and Flag for you OP.

This certainly has the potential to make it up on the list.

It will cause huge economic problems, and is already doing so. The wetlands that will be affected by this are some of the most diverse in the world. A sad incident for those of us that care. We should all take pause and reflect on this, but too many won't.

The wetlands in the Mississippi Delta have been shrinking at a rate of about one football field an hour for decades, deprived of sediment replenishment by levees in the river, divided by channels cut by oil companies and poisoned by farm runoff from upriver. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita took large, vicious bites.

The questions that haunt this region are: How much more can the wetlands take, and does their degradation spell doom for an increasingly defenseless southern Louisiana?

Source

I too didn't know about 9 out of 10 of these accidents... It truly puts it into perspective... it's terribly hard to support our oil based economy when you see such disasters... quite frankly, it's disgusting.

reply to post by Rockpuck


You might want to see these too:

• Oil Spills 1967-2004
  
• Oil Spills and Disasters
  

I too had not appreciated the frequency and magnitude of these spills.

According to one government source at NASA:


Source.

That's 706 million gallons of oil a year...worldwide.




[edit on 2-5-2010 by loam]

This is crazy! no wonder there's so many earthquakes and such... This is absolute proof that profit reigns supreme. Why the hell aren't tankers limited to carry certain loads??? its rediculous!

This post needs to be archived! kudos and OUTSTANDING work alsakan man it just goes to show, exxon vladez and BP amocooc Horizon arnt the only ones ever. man 706 million gallons gone a year was it?
i always take my used motor oil, to the city recycling center, where its bunred sad to say. recently, ive been giving it to my friends uncles atuo shop. he burns it thier in his store for heat in shop, electricity. those kits are expensive! to burn it in yuor furnace...let alone using diesel fuel in an oil furnace.. really its a waste.

Thx for the post, it put everything into a nice little picture about the current oil spill in the gulf..... Does not seem that bad anymore after reading this thread