Ocean in the News: Oil Spills

By Kelly PeakMEA 200H

October 10, 2005

Article from MSNBC.com; Sept. 19th 2005

Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina and a few days before Hurricane Rita

Only now are the Coast Guard and other agencies able to tackle environmental problems since the search and rescue effort is winding down

Spills range from several hundred gallons to the largest of nearly 4 million gallons

“44 Oil Spills found in southeast Louisiana”

Extent of Spills and Recovery

More than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled from industrial plants, storage depots and other facilities 2/3 as much oil as spilled from the Exxon Valdez

tanker in 1989

nearly 2 million gallons have been recovered and another 2.3 million gallons contained

None of the leaks sent oil directly into the Mississippi River (protected by levees)

But numbers are only estimates And it’s too early to tell how effective the cleanup

will be Two significant cases: one in Meraux and

another in Venice Meraux Spill (just outside New Orleans on the

Mississippi River): oil mixed with floodwaters and sediment to submerge hundreds of homes

Already two class action lawsuits filed against the company responsible– Murphy Oil

Concerns and Significant Cases

Satellite Image of Katrina Oil Spills

Katrina-caused slick in Breton Sound, La.

Classification of Spills

Largest known spills are along the Mississippi River south of New Orleans

Major Spills: over 100,000 gallons = 5 locations Medium Spills: 10,000 to 100,000 gallons = 4

locations Offshore Oil

No reports of offshore spills in Gulf of Mexico Though leaks could spring when the thousands of oil

platforms and hundreds of miles of pipeline are restarted

And this is all before Hurricane Rita….

Report by the American Petroleum Institute

API’s Impacts on Oil & Gas Operations from Katrina and Rita

* The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) which services tankers delivering oil imports

Hurricane Impacts on Gulf of Mexico Production

Facts about Oil Spills…

How much oil enters the ocean?Estimated at 0.25% of world oil production or

about 6 million tons per year

How much oil enters the oceans with oil spills?Spills account for only 5% of oil entering

oceansDuring the last decade, more than one billion

gallons of oil spilled worldwide

Are tanker accidents the major source of marine oil pollution?No, only about 10-15% of oil into oceansBreakdown of sources:

Natural Seeps in seabed fissures and eroding sedimentary rocks- 46%

Discharges from consumption of oils (ships and land-based sources including storage facilities, refineries, terminals and filing stations)- 37%

Accidental spills from ships- 12% Offshore Extraction of oil (platforms, pipelines, etc.)-

3%

What happens to oil spills in sea water?

Clean up Methods…

Booms: floating barriers to oil Skimmers: boats that skim spilled oil from

the water surface Sorbents: big sponges used to absorb oil Chemical dispersants and biological

agents: break down the oil into its chemical constituents

In-situ burning: method of burning freshly spilled oil while it’s floating on the water

Chemical Dispersants

Boom

Skimmer

InIn-Situ Burning

Take Home Points More than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled as a

result of Hurricane Katrina alone (2/3 the oil spilled with Exxon Valdez Tanker)

Largest spills along Mississippi River south of New Orleans; technically no offshore spills (only leaks)

Globally, oil spills account for only 5% of oil entering the ocean; tanker accidents only a small percentage

Many clean up methods available– booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants, etc.

References Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9365607/ Louisiana Oil Rig Photo:

http://www.jerrylabella.com/louisianas_steel-legged_reefs.htm Image of Hurricane Katrina: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina Exxon Valdez Photo:

http://www.hamburger-bildungsserver.de/welcome.phtml?unten=/ozean/oel-111.html

Louisiana oil spill photos: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9612756/ and http://www8.dotd.louisiana.gov/emergency/

API Slides on Katrina & Rita:http://api-ec.api.org/filelibrary/KatrinaSlides.pdf

Facts about Oil Spills: http://oils.gpa.unep.org/facts/faqs.htm and http://www.offshore-environment.com/facts.html

Clean up methods and photos: http://www.nos.noaa.gov/education/stories/oilymess/supp_primer.html; http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/image/viz_man1.html; http://www.ohmsett.com/For_Students_Questions_boomer_skimmer_Skimmer.asp; http://www.vs-c.de/vsengine/printvlu/vsc/en/ch/16/uc/vlus/cleanup1.vlu.html