Oil spills from tankers, occurring between 1970 and 2022, have been a significant concern due to their detrimental effects on society, economy, and the environment. These incidents involve the unintentional release of crude oil or refined petroleum products from various sources, including tankers, offshore platforms, wells, and rigs. While predominantly affecting marine ecosystems, they can also impact land environments. The consequences of oil spills are far-reaching, causing extensive damage to local ecosystems and incurring substantial expenses for oil loss and cleanup operations. Fortunately, there has been a noticeable decline in both the frequency and volume of oil spills from tankers in recent years. This positive trend can be attributed to improved safety measures and stricter regulations imposed on container ships engaged in oil transportation. To explore comprehensive and reliable data on oil spills, particularly those originating from tankers, this webpage offers a wealth of information, including data sets, visual representations, and informative articles. However, it is important to note that not all oil spills originate from tankers alone. Other sources, such as offshore oil rigs and damaged pipelines, can also contribute to these incidents. One such notable event is the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Resulting from an explosion on a drilling rig, this incident led to the release of an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil (equivalent to around 700,000 tonnes), making it one of the largest and most widely recognized oil spills in history.
While tracking and documenting non-tanker oil spills are crucial, there is currently a lack of comprehensive and up-to-date global databases that encompass such incidents. Bridging this gap would play a critical role in enhancing global environmental data and monitoring systems, thereby enabling effective measures to prevent and mitigate the impact of oil spills worldwide.
