(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) At the time, Exxon Valdez was the worst disaster of its kind in US history. But today, the spill barely cracks the list of the 40 worst tanker oil spills around the world, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF).
The Gulf oil spill — sometimes called the Deepwater Horizon or BP spill — off the coast of Louisiana blew the Exxon Valdez record out of the water. That disaster poured some 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the course of 87 days between April and July 2010. An area the size of Rhode Island was closed off from fishing, and local economies tanked. And yet these two US disasters still pale in comparison to some of their international counterparts.
Here are 13 of the most devastating man-made ocean disasters in history.
According to National Geographic, scientists sampled water in the Gulf of Alaska in 2014, and found that it still contains many of the same chemical compounds that the spilled oil did. This suggests the effects still linger.
The tanker was also owned by Amoco, which is now a part of BP.
For years after the disaster, fisheries along the French and Italian coast suffered severe environmental damage from pollution.
The spill devastated nearby swamps, mangrove ecosystems, and important breeding grounds for fish, birds and crustaceans.
That spill dumped 93,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean.
The Iranian oil tanker Sanchi collided with a cargo ship and caught fire.
The Sierra Club called the disaster "the worst oil spill in decades."
That's why fisheries typically close due to health concerns following a big oil spill.
When the turtles raise their heads above the water's surface to breathe, they can inhale oil into their lungs, or gulp it down their throats. Mother turtles can even pass oil compounds on to their developing eggs.
If the birds ingest any oil via their food or water, they could die or lose the ability to reproduce.
During the Gulf War, Iraqi troops tried to use oil as a weapon against invading American forces.
The troops set hundreds of oil wells on fire, devastating the surrounding environment. According to Time, "the Gulf was awash in poisonous smoke, soot and ash. Black rain fell. Lakes of oil were created."
What's more, Iraqi forces also dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf to hinder US troops from landing on the beaches.
For 35 years, from 1932 to 1968, a Japanese fertilizer company called the Chisso Corporation dumped industrial wastewater into Minamata Bay that was contaminated with an estimated 30 tons of poisonous methylmercury.
The toxic chemical accumulated in local fish and shellfish, which Japanese citizens consumed. This led them to suffer from a condition called Minamata disease, which wreaks havoc on the brain and nervous system and causes physical deformities.
The largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and is located between Hawaii and California.
Animals sometimes confuse the plastic for food and consume it. This can lead to behavioral changes, strangulation, and death.
Dead zones are areas of ocean that are hypoxic — meaning severely lacking in oxygen. It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, for marine life to survive.
The Gulf dead zone starts at the mouth of the Mississippi River, covering up to 7,000 square miles.
Most likely, spilled oil will never be completely be eradicated from the ocean.
