[mlmpetert]

I thought this was pretty interesting. I guess when you hear largest American oil spill with Exxon Valdez you kind of associate it with maybe being one of biggest oil spills ever, simply because America is the largest user of oil.


The Exxon Valdez, the tanker responsible for the worst oil spill in American history [...] will likely surprise you to know that the Valdez spill was actually only the 34th largest oil spill in history.
These ten oil spills, all massively larger than the Exxon Valdez, were all smaller new stories, either because the ships were offshore, or dropped their toxic loads in less developed parts of the world. The Valdez spilled 10 million gallons off the coast of Alaska, the smallest spill in the top ten was four times larger.
· Kuwait - 1991- 520 million gallons
Iraqi forces opened the valves of several oil tankers in order to slow the invasion of American troops. The oil slick was four inches thick and covered 4000 square miles of ocean.
· Mexico - 1980- 100 million gallonsAn accident in an oil well caused an explosion which then caused the well to collapse. The well remained open, spilling 30,000 gallons a day into the ocean for a full year. (This is the subject of the story above)
· Trinidad and Tobago - 1979 - 90 million gallonsDuring a tropical storm off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, a Greek oil tanker collided with another ship, and lost nearly its entire cargo.
· Russia - 1994 - 84 million gallonsA broken pipeline in Russia leaked for eight months before it was noticed and repaired.
· Persian Gulf - 1983 - 80 million gallonsA tanker collided with a drilling platform which, eventually, collapsed into the sea. The well continued to spill oil into the ocean for seven months before it was repaired.
· South Africa - 1983 - 79 million gallonsA tanker cought fire and was abandoned before sinking 25 miles off the coast of Saldanha Bay.
· France - 1978 - 69 million gallonsA tanker's rudder was broken in a severe storm, despite several ships responding to its distress call, the ship ran aground and broke in two. It's entire payload was dumped into the English Channel.
· Angola - 1991 - more than 51 million gallonsThe tanker expolded, exact quantity of spill unknown
· Italy - 1991 - 45 million gallonsThe tanker exploded and sank off the coast of Italy and continued leaking it's oil into the ocean for 12 years.
· Odyssey Oil Spill - 1988 - 40 million gallons
700 nautical miles off the cost of Nova Scotia.