Surprising to many, the Exxon Valdez spill is only the 34th largest oil spill ever. And while the Deep Water Horizon spill is a disaster by any means, it remains distant to this top 10 list (Hopefully it never makes this list). I decided to publish this list because I’ve heard a handful of people say it’s the end-of-the-Ocean/Gulf-as-we-know-it. While it will take time to cleanup the surrounding shores from this environmental disaster, there is no doubt the Ocean and Gulf of Mexico will continue — just as the bodies of water continued after the following spills.
Top 10 Biggest Oil Spills in History (Most You’ve Never Heard Of)
- Kuwait - 1991 – 520 million gallons; 4,000 square miles of Ocean
Iraqi forces opened the values of several oil tankers in the ocean to hamper the invasion of American troops. The oil spill caused considerable damage to wildlife in the Persian Gulf especially in areas surrounding Kuwait and Iraq. Estimates on the volume spilled usually range around 11 million barrels (462 million gallons or 1.75 billion liters); the slick reached a maximum size of 101 by 42 miles (4242 square miles or 6787 km²) and was 5 inches (13 cm) thick in some areas. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the size of the spill, figures place it 5 to 27 times the size (in gallons spilled) of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and more than twice the size of the 1979 Ixtoc I blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. A 1993 study sponsored by UNESCO, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States found the spill did “little long-term damage”: About half the oil evaporated, a million barrels were recovered and 2 million to 3 million barrels washed ashore, mainly in Saudi Arabia. - Mexico – 1980 – 100 million gallons
A large accident with an offshore oil well caused an explosion which collapsed the well. While the well remained open, 30,000 gallons spilled into the ocean daily until it was closed a full year after. - Trinidad and Tobago – 1979 – 90 million
A tropical storm off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago caused a Greek oil tanker to collided with another ship, spilling 90 million gallons of oil. - Russia – 1994 – 84 million gallons
A Russian pipeline leaked for eight months before it was discovered and repaired. 84 million gallons. - Persian Gulf – 1983 – 80 million gallons
An oil taker collided with a drilling platform. The platform collapsed into the sea and this well continued to spill oil into the ocean for several months before officials could repair the broken well. - South Africa – 1983 – 79 million gallons
An oil tanker caught fire and sank. - France – 1978 – 69 million gallons
During a severe storm the ship ran aground and broke in half. The entire cargo spilled into the English Channel. - Angola – 1991 – more than 51 million gallons
The tanker expolded. - Italy – 1991 – 45 million gallons
The tanker exploded and sank off the coast of Italy. - Odyssey Oil Spill – 1988 – 40 million gallons
Drilling rig burst info flames.
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Some people say that the Bible says the seas will turn to blood and this spill is interpreted to be a fulfillment of this prophecy. If you think that this specific spill is the fulfillment, then these other spills also fulfilled such prophecy as well.
Nice perspective. I wonder why I haven’t heard these facts on MSNBC? Oh yeah, these fact fly in the face of the loony liberal’s doomsday agenda. Mother Nature is so big and so powerful, she can take care of her own. Obviously we do not want to harm the environment, and we try our best to clean it up, but the doomsday perditions are absurd. They are all about instilling a crisis so that we are rendered helpless and go along with whatever they say.
No, the Kuwait accident happened on the surface. This happened in the deep waters so it cannot evaporate. We have never had an oil spill this deep so we are in uncharted territory. Damn right I’m scared. This disaster is not being reported correctly, they are not giving correct numbers for the amount of oil that has been spilled — I wouldn’t be surprised if DWH has surpassed all of the previous spills already. People who are actual journalists are there and they say how bad it is — we are doomed. We need to ban all the oil rigs forever because if we do not we will have a sea of blood (the earth bleeds black while we bleed red). If you people would only investigate the science behind this spill then you would be as worried as I am about the fate of humanity. Please investigate the science before you post ‘facts.’
NOT TRUE. #2 IS THE VERY FAMOUS MEXICAN OIL SPILL THAT HAS THE EXACT SAME ELEMENTS OF THE DEEP WATER HORIZON SPILL. FROM WIKIPEDIA: Mexico’s government-owned oil company Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos) was drilling a 3 km (1.9 mi) deep oil well when the drilling rig Sedco 135F lost drilling mud circulation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I_oil_spill
YES IT IS AWFUL THIS HAPPENED… YES IT IS A SCAR BUT IT’S NOT A HEMORRHAGE.
Reporters tend to sensationalize stories a bit. Just saying.
Seth you have obviously wet your pants. Some one from the nanny state will be by soon to change them….
Seth, don’t freak out, I have been in the business 30 + years. This isn’t the worst spill ( Yet) but the earth takes care of itself with a little help.
You cant ban drilling until true alternatives are found.
But it needs to made safer. Most Journalists dont know their hinney from a hole in the ground. They ask questions and repeat the “facts” as they are told. Don’t beleive 90 % of what you hear in the media…
It’s bad, especially for those directly affected but we’ll survive.
The Deep Water Horizon spill will almost certainly make #1 on the list.
That said, when it comes to the doom and gloom regarding this spill, I think it is informative that those other 10 spills happened and the world has kept turning.
B I like how you can predict the future…. Wait don’t we wait and see they haven’t given up yet.
The righteous never admit anything is wrong with any of their policies or positions and stand ready to defend them to the death. Must be great to be that inflexible, all knowing and consistently accurate. Bottom line quantifying the damage does nothing to change the fact that the damage was done. The Emeral Ilses are likely to become Black Sludge Beach. If this reaches Georgia, as many predict, trillions of dollars in real estate values will be greatly damaged. How much? No one can predict. Who is going to pick up the tab? BP says they will. If not? The US Taxpayer and meanwhile oil companies continue to make more in annual profits, than they had in 100 years of net worth at the beginning of 2001.
There is no oil deeper than prayer! There is no spill grater than the blood of CHRIST !!!! So pray deep & gratter spill no is there AMEN!!!!
nice post. thanks.
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Great post. I don’t recall hearing about this from the MSM.
is a pity that we in nigeria could ve a govt legislation to combate enviormental menace, as we started with NIOGAS in trying to plant trees in all gas stations in the country.
Oil and tobacko have a lot incomen, nearly 50% of oil is used in pleasure,tobacko is nearly 100% in pleasure.People will bye the stuff just the same.As long as there is moey to be made some body will produce it ,people will sell thier sole for it.
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