Oil Spill Blog

The 2009 Queensland oil spill occurred on March 11, 2009 off the coast of southeast Queensland. On that fateful night when Cyclone Hamish battered the coast of Australia’s northern state, MV Pacific Adventurer spilled 230 tons of fuel oil, 30 tons of other fuel, and 620 tons of ammonium nitrate into the Coral Sea, north of Moreton Bay, changing the face of the much-famed Gold Coast.

Unsecured cargo on the ship dislodged from the deck and damaged other cargo onboard, causing the spillage. Sixty kilometers of pristine coastline areas, including Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, and Bribie Island were badly affected by the spill. Oil spill cleanup operations have cost the government so much in terms of money. It is widely believed that 31 containers with ammonium nitrate are still present somewhere in the Coral Sea floor; if it disperses into the ocean it might cause widespread algal blooms.

What is the bearing on the ecosystem

The oil spilled in one of Australia’s worst ever oil spill disasters is highly toxic heavy-grade bunker oil. Bunker oil is not easy to get rid of and a thick sludge remains even after the volatile part of the oil has evaporated. Products from Oil Gone Easy help in removal of such spills caused by oil spill disasters in an eco-friendly manner.

Oil spill effects on the ecosystem can be disastrous and wildlife coming into direct contact with the oil will be severely affected. Inhaling, ingesting, and absorbing oil are dangerous as well. Once it enters the food chain, the entire cycle can get contaminated, ranging from the smallest plankton to human beings. Depending on the intensity and level of exposure to oil vapor, it might lead to cancer. They can also damage various parts of the body, including blood, kidney, liver, skin, central nervous system, and parts of the eye.

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Here is a list of 10 major oil spills in history that caused severe oil pollution and irreparable damage to the ecosystem.

1. Amoco Cadiz – The Amoco Cadiz ran aground on Portsall Rocks, three miles off the coast of Brittany, France on March 16, 1978 due to stormy weather. Approximately 200 miles of the coastline was polluted as the entire cargo of 68.7 million gallons of oil was spilled into the sea.

2. Arabian Gulf Spills – About 900 million barrels of oil spilled into the Arabian Gulf as the Iraqi army destroyed tankers, oil terminals, and oil wells in Kuwait during the Gulf war in January 1991, resulting in one of the largest oil spill disasters ever.

3. Exxon Valdez – In what is regarded as the largest oil spill disaster in American history, the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989, spilling 10.8 million gallons of oil. The cleanup alone cost $2.5 billion.

4. Ixtoc I – The exploratory well blew out on June 3, 1979 in the Gulf of Mexico and by the time the well was brought under control, 140 million gallons of oil had spilled. This is rated as No. 2 on the list of worst oil spill incidents on record.

5. Burmah Agate – The Burmah Agate collided with the Mimosa in Galveston harbor on November 1, 1979 to cause one of the most infamous marine oil spills.

6. Atlantic Empress – The Greek oil tanker Atlantic Empress was involved in two major oil spills when it collided with the Aegean Captain off Trinidad and Tobago during a tropical rainstorm on July 19, 1979. The spills together are the largest ship-based spill and the fourth largest total oil spill in history.

7. Argo Oil Merchant - On December 15, 1976 the Argo Merchant ran aground on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts spilling 7.7 million US gallons of fuel oil, enough to heat 18,000 homes for a year.

8. Prestige Oil Spill – The largest environmental disaster ever in Spain, the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the Galician coast on November 13, 2002 caused considerable damage to the local fishing industry.

9. Barge Bouchard 155 – Three ships, the barge Bouchard 155, the freighter Balsa 37, and the barge Ocean 255, collided in Tampa Bay, Florida, on August 10, 1993. The Bouchard 155 alone spilled an estimated 336,000 gallons of No.6 fuel oil.

10. Southeast Queensland – The cleanup efforts were estimated at a staggering A$100,000 dollars a day in one of the recent oil spill disasters, which occurred on March 11, 2009 off the coast of southeast Queensland.

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