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Tuesday, 19 November, 2002, 13:09 GMT
Comparing the worst oil spills
![]() The biggest spill was off Brittany in 1978
Environmentalists are warning that if all 70,000 metric tons of fuel oil escape from the Prestige which broke up off the Spanish coast it could rank as one of the worst environmental disasters.
Greenpeace spokesman Dr David Santillo says that making comparisons can be difficult as the impact depends on the type of oil spilled, the weather conditions and the sensitivity of the region. The Exxon Valdez spilled 38,800 tons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989 and it took many years for the area to recover. Change of law Dr Santillo, who works for the Greenpeace research laboratory at Exeter University in the UK, explained that a combination of shallow water and a poor flush of water through the Sound magnified the impact of the spill on a particularly sensitive region.
The Prestige was carrying fuel oil. Some of the lighter, more volatile oils can evaporate and dissolve before they get ashore - though wildlife at sea will still be affected. Although some thick deposits have already come ashore it is not yet clear how the rest of the cargo from the Prestige will behave or if the weather will aid in the dispersion. Dr Santillo said: "The total quantity of oil is very much larger than the Erika and this is a very sensitive coastline and a very important area for fishing." In 1993 the Braer grounded south of the Shetland Island, off the north coast of Scotland, spilling 85,000 tons of oil. Deliberate release Dr Santillo said that although it was a large-scale spill, the impact was lessened by the severe weather which broke up and dispersed the slick at sea. Pipeline spills have also had devastating results. Two years ago a ruptured pipeline spewed about 340,000 gallons of heavy oil into Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. And in January 1991 during the Gulf War, the Iraqi army deliberately released an estimated 460 million gallons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf. There have been dozens of oil spills during the last 35 years. Some of the worst include:
Various sources. All figures approximates |
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