Test - leak

Video - The Ongoing Impacts of the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster people are still getting sick. Despite a huge effort to cleanup the spill, the aftereffects of the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico continue to adversely impact human health and natural ecosystems. This sad state of affairs illustrates that once spilled, oil cannot be contained and this has long-term ramifications. Massive cleanup efforts have not been able to protect people and wildlife from the noxious impacts. BP spent billions on the cleanup and billions more will be paid out in lawsuits. However, this does not factor the real costs to human health and the environment which are far more than just monetary. These impacts beg the question, can we really afford to continue to our reliance on fossil fuels?

Related Articles
The Costs of Offshore Drilling Transocean to Pay $1.4 billion for its Role in the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010
The Cost of Oil: BP Barred from Doing Business with the US
The Costs of Oil: BP Liable for Tens of Billions
Responsibility for the Costs of the Gulf Oil Spill
The Costs of Offshore Drilling
The Cost of Carbon
Video - Truck Carrying Oil Crashes and Explodes Illustrating the Dangers of Transporting Fossil Fuels
Train Carrying Oil Derails Illustrating the Dangers of Transporting Fossil Fuels
Debate: McKibben vs. Epstein—Are Fossil Fuels a Risk to the Planet? (Video)
350.org's Connect the Dots End Fossil Fuel (2012)
Two More Reasons to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels

Three of the Most Destructive Tanker Oil Spills in History

While the dangers associated with shipping of oil through rail and pipe has received a lot of press of late, oil tankers are responsible for some of the largest oil spills in history. Here is a review of three of the most destructive tanker spills. Quantities are measured in tonnes of crude oil with one tonne being roughly equal to 308 US gallons, or 7.33 barrels, or 1165 liters.

1. Odyssey, was an oil tanker that spilled its load of crude oil 700 nmi (1,300 km; 810 mi) off Nova Scotia, Canada on November 10th, 1988. In total it spilled an estimated 132,157 tonnes of oil into the ocean. An explosion caused it to sink and the resulting spill remains one of the largest oil spills in world history.

2. The Exxon Valdez spilled 104,000 tonnes of oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters. The Valdez spill was the largest ever in US waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume released. The oil eventually covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, and 11,000 square miles (28,000 km2) of ocean.

3. The MV Sea Empress was a single-hull oil tanker that ran aground near the southwest coast of Wales on February 15, 1996. A total of 72,000 tonnes of oil where spilled during the course of this incident. The ensuing oil spill affected a considerable area of nearby coastline. Killing birds and soiling beaches.

To see a map of the world's biggest oil spills click here.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Articles
Top 25 Oil Spills Over 1000 Tonnes in the Last Decade
Another Gas Pipeline Rupture in Montana
Video - Train Carrying Oil Derails Illustrating the Dangers of Transporting Fossil Fuels
Pipelines and Oil Spills in Alberta Canada
Managing the Massive Gulf Oil Spill
Oil Spills Add to Concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline
EPA Slams State Department on its Keystone XL Report
Oil Spills off the Coast of New Zealand
South Dakota Wants Additional Protections Against Spills
Responsibility for the Costs of the Gulf Oil Spill
Offshore Oil is an Avoidable Tragedy
Shell Oil Rig Runs Aground in Alaska Raising Safety Concerns
Lawsuit Protecting the Arctic from Oil Spills
Inadequate Safety Measures for the Keystone XL Pipeline
BC Opposes the Northern Gateway Pipeline
Another Offshore Oil Leak
Two More Reasons to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels