The Other Oil Spills

1
EXXON REFINERIES 1840 to 1950 Greenpoint, Brooklyn 30 million gallons Soil, earth and water were poisoned by decades of unchecked oil seepage. Residents first complained in 1950; in 1990, New York State told Exxon to clean up the mess, but didn’t give a deadine. In 2007, attorney general Mario Cuomo sued Exxon, BP and Chevron. There’s still a slick floating on Newtown Creek. PEMBINA PIPELINE Aug. 1, 2000 Pine River, B.C. 420,000 gallons Pipelines out of Alberta criss-cross beneath northern B.C. One burst 10 years ago, spewing a 2.1-kilometre slick into the Pine River. Now, a battle is heating up against Enbridge’s proposed 1,170 km pipeline, which would flow crude from the oil sands to the Great Bear Rainforest on the B.C. coast. AMOCO CADIZ TANKER March 16, 1978 Brittany, France 70 million gallons Gale force winds drove the Liberian tanker into the Breton rocks as it moved crude from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam. The French government scraped the oiled wetlands, a failed experiment that worsened the problem. Most of the marshes never came back. TORREY CANYON TANKER March 16, 1967, Cornwall, England 40 million gallons When the Torrey Canyon supertanker struck a reef, it set off the first major modern oil spill. The British government tried to burn the oil by dropping 42 bombs, but high tides smothered the flames. Next, they used napalm. KOMINEFT PIPELINE Oct. 1, 1994 Kolva River, Russia 31 million gallons Like Exxon Valdez, this spill occurred where cold temperatures impede evaporation and cleaning. A dike designed to catch leaks from Russia’s aging pipes burst, and the inland spill covered 170 acres of Siberian tundra, bogs and marshland. HEBEI SPIRIT TANKER Dec. 7, 2007 Yellow Sea, South Korea 2.8 million gallons South Korea’s worst oil spill occurred when a Samsung crane barge bashed three holes into the anchored crude carrier Hebei Spirit. The incident incited criticism of single-hulled tankers, which have only one metal plate between cargo and ocean. MONTARA PLATFORM Aug. 24, 2009 Timor Sea, Australia 1.8 million gallons Near two coral reefs, this watery highway for endangered whales, sea turtles and three types of dolphins was the catchall for a 105-day oil leak caused by a blowout. The Thai corporation that owns the Montara well, PTTEP, has said its nearby wells might have the same risk. IXTOC I RIG June 3, 1979 Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico 154 million gallons Before Deepwater Horizon, this was the worst rig spill ever. Also set off by a blowout, it took 290 days to plug. Pemex, Mexico’s national oil company, tried mud, metal balls and the ridiculously named cap The Sombrero. A relief well finally did the job, too late for miles of beaches from Mexico to the U.S. PETROBRAS REFINERY July 18, 2000 Curitiba, Brazil 4 million gallons The first year of the new millennium saw multiple oil spills and near-misses in environmentally sensitive Brazil. One saw a tanker sink to the bottom of the Amazon River, while another washed up on Rio’s beaches. The biggest formed an eight-kilometre black slick on the tourist- beloved Igaçu River. ATLANTIC EMPRESS AND AEGEAN CAPTAIN TANKERS July 19, 1979 Trinidad and Tobago 95 million gallons A collision between two supertankers sent a gusher into the Caribbean Sea when the Greek Atlantic Empress hit Mobil’s Aegean Captain. The Empress (which had spilled before) caught fire, and couldn’t be plugged or towed. It burned and exploded for days before sinking. SHELL PIPELINES 2009 Niger Delta, Nigeria 4.3 million gallons That’s the amount Shell admitted to spilling last year — whether from neglect or sabotage, spills the size of Deepwater Horizon occur annually here. There are 2,000 official major spillage sites in Nigeria. UNKNOWN 1993 Saudi Arabia 700 million gallons This “top secret” spill was just revealed by American engineer Nick Pozzi, who claims he helped government-owned Saudi Aramco discreetly clean up an epic mess. Using empty super- tankers to skim the surface of the Persian Gulf, Pozzi said he successfully retrieved 85 per cent of the oil in what could be the largest spill ever. HORTA BARBOSA AND SEA STAR TANKERS Dec. 19, 1972 Oman 35 million gallons Crews from both boats were forced to abandon their flaming vessels after the Brazilian Horta Barbosa and the South Korean Sea Star collided in the Gulf of Oman. The Barbosa was extinguished, but the Sea Star sank on Christmas Eve. VLCC METULA Aug. 9, 1974 Strait of Magellan, Chile 17 million gallons Trying to navigate a narrow passage through a tumultu- ous storm, the massive supertanker ran aground, emptying light Arabian crude into a remote part of Tierra del Fuego. No cleanup of the shore was ever done — on the surface, it solidified into asphalt, but dig a little and it’s still soft and oozing. RESEARCH BY DENISE BALKISSOON GRAPHICS CATHERINE FARLEY/TORONTO STAR AFRICA SOUTH AMERICA NORTH AMERICA EUROPE RUSSIA AUSTRALIA The other oil spills

Transcript of The Other Oil Spills

Page 1: The Other Oil Spills

EXXON REFINERIES1840 to 1950Greenpoint, Brooklyn

30 million gallonsSoil, earth and water were poisoned by decades of unchecked oil seepage. Residents first complained in 1950; in 1990, New York State told Exxon to clean up the mess, but didn’t give a deadine. In 2007, attorney general Mario Cuomo sued Exxon, BP and Chevron. There’s still a slick floating on Newtown Creek.

PEMBINA PIPELINEAug. 1, 2000Pine River, B.C.

420,000 gallonsPipelines out of Alberta criss-cross beneath northern B.C. One burst 10 years ago, spewing a 2.1-kilometre slick into the Pine River. Now, a battle is heating up against Enbridge’s proposed 1,170 km pipeline, which would flow crude from the oil sands to the Great Bear Rainforest on the B.C. coast.

AMOCO CADIZ TANKERMarch 16, 1978Brittany, France

70 million gallonsGale force winds drove the Liberian tanker into the Breton rocks as it moved crude from the Persian Gulf to Rotterdam. The French government scraped the oiled wetlands, a failed experiment that worsened the problem. Most of the marshes never came back.

TORREY CANYON TANKERMarch 16, 1967, Cornwall, England

40 million gallonsWhen the Torrey Canyon supertanker struck a reef, it set off the first major modern oil spill. The British government tried to burn the oil by dropping 42 bombs, but high tides smothered the flames. Next, they used napalm.

KOMINEFT PIPELINEOct. 1, 1994Kolva River, Russia

31 million gallonsLike Exxon Valdez, this spill occurred where cold temperatures impede evaporation and cleaning. A dike designed to catch leaks from Russia’s aging pipes burst, and the inland spill covered 170 acres of Siberian tundra, bogs and marshland.

HEBEI SPIRIT TANKERDec. 7, 2007Yellow Sea, South Korea

2.8 million gallonsSouth Korea’s worst oil spill occurred when a Samsung crane barge bashed three holes into the anchored crude carrier Hebei Spirit. The incident incited criticism of single-hulled tankers, which have only one metal plate between cargo and ocean.

MONTARA PLATFORMAug. 24, 2009Timor Sea, Australia

1.8 million gallonsNear two coral reefs, this watery highway for endangered whales, sea turtles and three types of dolphins was the catchall for a 105-day oil leak caused by a blowout. The Thai corporation that owns the Montara well, PTTEP, has said its nearby wells might have the same risk.

IXTOC I RIGJune 3, 1979Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico

154 million gallonsBefore Deepwater Horizon, this was the worst rig spill ever. Also set off by a blowout, it took 290 days to plug. Pemex, Mexico’s national oil company, tried mud, metal balls and the ridiculously named cap The Sombrero. A relief well finally did the job, too late for miles of beaches from Mexico to the U.S.

PETROBRAS REFINERYJuly 18, 2000Curitiba, Brazil

4 million gallonsThe first year of the new millennium saw multiple oil spills and near-misses in environmentally sensitive Brazil. One saw a tanker sink to the bottom of the Amazon River, while another washed up on Rio’s beaches. The biggest formed an eight-kilometre black slick on the tourist-beloved Igaçu River.

ATLANTIC EMPRESS AND AEGEAN CAPTAIN TANKERSJuly 19, 1979Trinidad and Tobago

95 million gallonsA collision between two supertankers sent a gusher into the Caribbean Sea when the Greek Atlantic Empress hit Mobil’s Aegean Captain. The Empress (which had spilled before) caught fire, and couldn’t be plugged or towed. It burned and exploded for days before sinking.

SHELL PIPELINES2009Niger Delta, Nigeria

4.3 million gallonsThat’s the amount Shell admitted to spilling last year — whether from neglect or sabotage, spills the size of Deepwater Horizon occur annually here. There are 2,000 official major spillage sites in Nigeria.

UNKNOWN1993Saudi Arabia

700 million gallonsThis “top secret” spill was just revealed by American engineer Nick Pozzi, who claims he helped government-owned Saudi Aramco discreetly clean up an epic mess. Using empty super-tankers to skim the surface of the Persian Gulf, Pozzi said he successfully retrieved 85 per cent of the oil in what could be the largest spill ever.

HORTA BARBOSA AND SEA STAR TANKERSDec. 19, 1972Oman

35 million gallonsCrews from both boats were forced to abandon their flaming vessels after the Brazilian Horta Barbosa and the South Korean Sea Star collided in the Gulf of Oman. The Barbosa was extinguished, but the Sea Star sank on Christmas Eve.

VLCC METULAAug. 9, 1974Strait of Magellan, Chile

17 million gallonsTrying to navigate a narrow passage through a tumultu-ous storm, the massive supertanker ran aground, emptying light Arabian crude into a remote part of Tierra del Fuego. No cleanup of the shore was ever done — on the surface, it solidified into asphalt, but dig a little and it’s still soft and oozing.

RESEARCH BY DENISE BALKISSOON GRAPHICS CATHERINE FARLEY/TORONTO STAR

AFRICASOUTH AMERICA

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE RUSSIA

AUSTRALIA

The other oil spills