10 largest oil spills in the world

Each of these events is associated with the release of tens of millions of gallons of oil, often leading to the destruction of the ecosystem.

10. Atlantic Ocean, Canada, 1988 (43 million gallons)

On November 10, 1988, in the middle of the Atlantic Sea, or rather in its northern part, off the coast of Canada, the Odyssey oil tanker exploded. 43 million gallons of oil were dumped into the ocean. The oil tanker, operating since 1977, was owned by a London company and was bound for Come-by-Chance in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The explosion was so powerful that the ship was torn in two, a massive fire started, and as a result, not a single member of the crew survived. Although large volumes of oil transported by tanker were lost due to combustion, a significant amount ended up in the ocean. Fortunately, the released liquid did not reach the shores of Canada, but instead it was carried by ocean currents directly to Europe. The spill had a significant impact on the marine krill population, however, when it entered the ocean, the oil was diluted with a large amount of water, so there was no need to start a clean-up operation.

9. English Channel, France, 1978 (69 million gallons)

On March 16, 1978, a large crude oil tanker "Amoco Cadiz", owned by the American company Amoco, sank in the waters of the English Channel. The cause of the disaster was the heavy impact of the wave caused by the storm. The tanker split in three and sank, 69 million gallons of oil mixed with seawater.

The consequences of the disaster are dire: the death of more than 20,000 seabirds and 9,000 tons of oysters, the extinction of huge populations of fish, echinoderms and crustaceans. For a long time, fishermen caught fish covered with ulcers and tumors. Fishing and tourism were particularly affected by the disaster. The damage is estimated at $ 250 million.

8. Saldanha Bay, South Africa, 1983 (79 million gallons)

On 6 August 1983, the Spanish oil tanker MT Castillo de Bellver, carrying almost 250,000 tons of crude oil, caught fire and sank in Saldanha off the coast of South Africa. All on board survived, as the rescuers managed to save them before the ship sank. What caused the fire has not been clarified. Large volumes of oil ended up in the ocean, but luckily the current carried the liquid towards the sea and the damage to the beaches was very minor. Losses among animals are also not high, the worst fate befell 1500 cormorants.

7. Atlantic Ocean, Angola, 1991 (80 million gallons)

On May 28, 1991, the ABT Summer oil tanker carrying 260,000 tons of oil from Iran to Rotterdam suffered a disaster that resulted in a massive oil spill into the Atlantic Ocean (about 80 million gallons of oil). The oil tanker suddenly caught fire, resulting in an explosion, it burned out for another three days before plunging into the ocean.

The incident took place 1,300 kilometers off the coast of Angola. Since the disaster took place far from the coast, it was decided that the ocean waters would soon completely dilute the oil, and there was no urgent need for a full-scale water purification from pollution.

6. Persian Gulf, 1983 (80 million gallons)

The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s is associated with several oil spills in the Persian Gulf. One of the worst spills occurred in 1983, when a tanker crashed into an offshore oil platform in the Persian Gulf, destabilizing it, releasing about 80 million gallons of oil into the sea.

Violent clashes between militant groups prevented measures to purify the water, and it was only seven months after the spill that the oil well was closed to prevent further oil release into the Persian Gulf. The operation itself to shut off the well led to the death of 11 people.

5. Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan, 1992 (88 million gallons)

The Fergana Valley oil spill (Uzbekistan), also known as the Mingbulak oil spill, has become one of the largest ever known to the world. The oil that spread across the valley burned for two months. Daily losses were 35,000 - 150,000 barrels of oil, and after calculating the total loss, 88 million gallons were announced.

The spill stopped on its own, but efforts were made to prevent the spilled oil from spreading over large areas - the crash site was surrounded by dams.

4. Caribbean Sea, Trinidad and Tobago, 1979 (88 million gallons)

On July 19, 1979, one of the worst oil spills in history occurred - two tankers, the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain, collided with each other, releasing about 88 million gallons of oil into the Caribbean. The ships collided near Little Tobago Island, and shortly after the disaster, the Atlantic Empress burst into flames.

Although the fire managed to touch the second ship, however, they managed to tow it to a safe place. The crew died in the crash, and the Atlantic Empress, who had been burning for about two weeks, sank to the bottom on August 3.

3. Gulf of Campeche, Mexico, 1979 (140 million gallons)

Another major spill occurred on June 3, 1979. The rupture of an oil well under study in Campeche Bay (Mexico) resulted in the release of about 140 million gallons of oil into the sea, which somewhat negatively affected the ecosystem of the region. A large number of Kemp's sea turtles, fish, crabs, molluscs and other aquatic and semi-aquatic species died.

Due to strong ocean currents, oil pollution has affected the coastline of Mexico and even reached Texas. The Mexican and American governments have launched large-scale disaster relief operations to contain the oil spill, shut down the oil well, and keep those untouched by disaster from disaster.

2. Gulf of Mexico, 2010 (210 million gallons)

On April 20, 2010, an accident occurred at an oil rig (Deepwater Horizon Rig) located in the Gulf of Mexico and operated by BP (British Petroleum). In the crash, 17 people were injured, and 11 died. Oil soon began to pollute vast areas of the ocean, endangering the life of the marine space: for many representatives of the aquatic world and birds, the blow ended in death, many of them are now on the verge of extinction.

More than 210 million gallons of oil hit the sea in 87 days, and there were reports that even after the well was shut in in July 2010, oil continued to spill into the ocean. The disaster affected 26,000 km of coastal lands. Many people took part in the operation to rescue animals affected by the disaster and clean up the oil spill.

1. Persian Gulf, 1991 (~ 300 million gallons)

The worst oil spill in world history, unfortunately, was caused by a deliberate act of man, and not by accident. The disaster took place in 1991 in the Persian Gulf. The accident was artificially triggered by Iraqi soldiers retreating from Kuwait as a vengeful military operation.

The soldiers began shelling several oil rigs in the Kuwaiti deserts and opened the valves of oil wells and wells belonging to Kuwait, as a result of which huge volumes of oil, up to 300 gallons, fell into the Persian Gulf.

This unthinking act has polluted vast swaths of coastal environments in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and has had a devastating impact on marine populations of rare and endangered species.