Oil Spills

Steve DAmato, Yasmeen Fowler,Nicole Milano, Andrew Schack

Three Ways for Oil to Enter Oceans

Natural Processes
Marine seepage: 20,000-200,000 tons per year Sediment erosion: 5,000-50,000 tons per year

Standard Operations
Intentional discharge: 1,000,000 tons per year!

Tanker Casualties
200,000 tons per year

Environmental Effects

Natural properties of oil and water

When a spill or dump occurs, the oil is immediately spread along the surface of the ocean rapidly (density<1) Within 24 hours the spill becomes weathered, or exposed to the elements of nature, causing about of the oil to evaporate and oxidize into the atmosphere The weathered oil is then emulsified and condensed into a material called mousse (density>1) which then sinks just below the surface of the water The mousse then collects into larger globs of oil under the surface and floats in the photic zone, blocking sunlight (their means of photosynthesis) to the organisms that live there and causing them to perish The mousse then floats with ocean currents until it reaches a coastal area, where the globs of mousse break apart and spread over the coastal area, severely damaging the natural environment

Shoreline Recovery
The geography and topography of the coastal area directly effects how quickly the area will recover from the contact of the oil spill The higher energy that a coastline receives the faster that it will be cleansed of the oil damage, and naturally the less energy that a coastline receives the slower that it will be able to recover The sensitivity reflects this energy level - the higher the sensitivity, the higher the energy
Shoreline Sensitivity

Shoreline Type
0

10

Sensitivity To Heavy Crude Oils Exposed Tidal Flats Gravel Beaches Sheltered Rocky Coasts Sand Beaches Rocky Beaches Sheltered Tidal Flats

Clean Up
Mechanical Containment
Booms Barriers Skimmers Natural/Synthetic sorbent materials

Chemical and Biological

Used in conjunction with mechanical

Dispersants and gelling agents

 Physical methods used in cleaning up shore lines

Evaporation, oxidation, biodegradation Wiping with sorbent materials, pressure washing, racking and bulldozing

Rescuing Wildlife
Scare tactics are used to keep wild life away from area Propane scare-cans Floating dummies Helium-filled balloons Cleaning process for birds Oil flushed from eyes and intestines Stomach-coating medications administered Wipe with absorbent clothes Birds must then preen and realign their feathers to restore them to their original structure, helping them to become waterproof Must pass waterproof test Ability to float and repel water

Marine Mammal Rescue and Clean Up

Pinnipeds
Walruses, harbor seals, and sea lions

Fur-bearing marine mammals

Sea otters and fur seals

Wiped clean and kept warm and dry

Sometimes a mild detergent is used to help break up oil Milk used around face

Given medications to coat stomach and allowed to clean themselves

International Regulations of Intentional Discharges of Oil Into the Ocean

Tankers used to discharge oil/water mixtures into the ocean prior to arrival at ports to clean the cargo tanks
Even at just .4% of the total cargo, this would mean about 400 tons of oil discharged into the ocean per voyage! This added up to 1,000,000+ tons of oil discharged per year

Since the 1950s there have been regulations placed on intentional discharges

Limits on Discharges
1. Within 50 mile coastal zones, and on specially-protected areas, only clean ballasts (discharge that produces no visible trace of oil on water surface) may be discharged Outside this zone, discharges must be less than 60 liters of oil per mile No more than 1/15,000th of cargo may be discharged per voyage First two limitations enforced by aerial/naval surveillance programs
Detecting state and courts of tankers flag state, respectively, have prosecution jurisdiction

2.
3.

Third limitation detected upon arrival of a clean tank by inspectors in oil exporting states
Prosecution takes place in the detecting or flag state courts

Required Installation of Equipment

Under the order of International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), tankers are required to install equipment that:
1. 2. Prevents tankers from using their cargo tanks for ballast (when heavy material is placed in the hold of a ship to enhance stability) Uses crude oil rather than sea water for washing down tanks

Tankers built before 1980 must have at least one of these technologies installed Tankers built between 1980 and 1982 must have segregated ballast tanks (the first technology) installed Tankers built after 1982 must have both technologies installed

Major Recorded Oil Spills

1978 Amoco Cadiz
220,000 tons

1979 Atlantic Empress

160,000 tons

1967 Torrey Canyon

119,000 tons

1993 Braer
85,000 tons

1996 Sea Empress

72,000 tons

1989 Exxon Valdez

38,800 tons

Exxon Valdez
On March 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. The spill was the largest in U.S. history. Many factors complicated the cleanup efforts following the spill. The size of the spill and its remote location - accessible only by helicopter and boat made government and industry efforts difficult.

Clean Up
Three methods were involved in the effort to clean up the spill:
Burning Mechanical Cleanup Chemical Dispersants

Aftermath
In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez incident, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which required the Coast Guard to strengthen its regulations on oil tank vessels and oil tank owners and operators. Today, tank hulls provide better protection against spills resulting from a similar accident, and communications between vessel captains and vessel traffic centers have improved to make for safer sailing.