- The latest data from ITOPF for 2021 shows tanker spills were within the long-term average, even if the number of overall oil spills increased slightly.
- The total volume of oil lost to the environment from tanker spills in 2021 was approximately 10,000 tonnes, most of which was spilt in the one large incident.
A recent news article published in the Riviera by Craig Jallal states that tanker oil spills remained low in 2021.
ITOPF reveals recorded oil spill data for 2021
The shipping industry’s oil spill response advisory consultancy ITOPF has revealed the recorded oil spill data for 2021, which shows six oil spills over seven tonnes were recorded from tanker incidents in 2021.
For historical reasons, the annual ITOPF statistics publication reports incidents involving tankers only.
This is a slight increase on 2020, but on par with the average for the 2010s and a dramatic reduction from the numbers reported in earlier decades, see graph above.
Only one of the six incidents in 2021
Only one of the six incidents in 2021, which occurred in Asia in April and involved heavy crude oil, resulted in a spill greater than 700 tonnes, classified as a ‘large’ spill.
The other five incidents, classified as ‘medium’ spills, involved crude, slurry and non-persistent oils.
The total volume of oil lost to the environment from tanker spills in 2021 was approximately 10,000 tonnes, most of which was spilt in the one large incident.
This figure is higher than the previous two years but remains a fraction of the 1.7Bn tonnes of oil transported by sea each year.
Despite annual fluctuations, the number and volume of oil spills from tankers has plummeted since ITOPF’s records began half a century ago and is largely stabilising at a low level.
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Source: Riviera
