Gulf War oil spill

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The Gulf War oil spill is regarded as the worst oil spill in history, resulting from actions taken during the Gulf War in 1991. It caused considerable damage to wildlife in the Persian Gulf. Estimates on the volume spilled range from 42 to 462 million gallons; the slick reached a maximum size of 100 by 40 miles and was 4 inches thick. 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 blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico.

[edit] Causes of the spill

On January 23, 1991, Iraqi forces opened valves at an offshore terminal and dumped oil from several tankers in the Persian Gulf. The apparent strategic goal was to foil a potential amphibious landing by U.S. Marines.

The immediate reports from Baghdad said that American air strikes had caused a discharge of oil from two tankers. Coalition forces determined the main source of oil to be the Sea Island terminal in Kuwait. American airstrikes on January 26 destroyed pipelines to prevent further spillage into the Gulf. Several other sources of oil were found to be active: tankers and a damaged refinery near Mina Al Ahmadi, tankers near Bubiyan Island, and Iraq's Mina Al Bakr terminal.