The oil industry is responsible for some of the most devastating ecological disasters to ever occur. Oil spills have had devastating effects on the environment, wildlife and human communities, and the negative effects are still being discovered today. Here are the top 10 biggest oil spills.....so far:
The Nakhodka oil spill occurred in 1997 in the Sea of Japan. A tanker carrying nearly 700,000 barrels of oil split in half and released its cargo into the ocean, polluting over 250 miles of coastline.
The ABT Summer oil spill happened in 1991 in the Atlantic Ocean. The tanker ABT Summer exploded and released nearly 760,000 barrels of oil into the water
The Castillo de Bellver oil spill took place in 1983 off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. A tanker carrying nearly 1 million barrels of oil caught fire and spilled its cargo into the ocean, polluting over 100 miles of coastline.
The Fergana Valley oil spill occurred in 1992 in the Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan. An explosion at an oil storage facility led to the release of nearly 1.2 million barrels of oil.
The NOWROUZ oil spill happened in 1976 in the Persian Gulf. A collision between two oil tankers resulted in the release of nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil into the ocean.
The Amoco Cadiz oil spill occurred in 1978 off the coast of Brittany, France. The tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground and released nearly 1.6 million barrels of oil, polluting over 200 miles of coastline.
The Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain oil spill took place in 1979 off the coast of Tobago and Trinidad. Two oil tankers collided, spilling nearly 1.8 million barrels of oil into the ocean.
The Ixtoc I oil spill occurred in 1979 in the Gulf of Mexico. A well blowout on an offshore oil platform led to the release of over 3 million barrels of oil into the ocean, making it the largest oil spill in the history of Mexico.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the BP oil spill, occurred in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. It is considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, releasing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill happened in 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into the water, affecting 1,300 miles of coastline and killing hundreds of millions of birds, fish and other wildlife.
These oil spills total over 28 million gallons, and this list includes only the top ten spills by volume.Each spill has had devastating effects on the environment and human communities, and their impact will last forever.