In 2020, there were only 3 incidents where more than 7 tonnes of oil were spilled, according to annual ITOPF statistics of oil spills from tankers.
The total volume of oil lost in all 3 incidents was approximately 1,000 MT, when the annual volume of oil moved by sea is approximately 3 billion tonnes, making it amongst the lowest on record.
Number of oil spills in 2020
- For the year 2020, ITOPF recorded zero large spills (>700 tonnes) and three medium spills (7–700 tonnes).
- The first medium spill occurred early in the year in Europe and the other two occurred in the last quarter of the year in Africa and Asia.
- This is the same number of spills >7 tonnes as recorded in 2019 and remains the lowest number in any particular year since 1970.
Quantity of oil spilled in 2020
- The total volume of oil lost to the environment from tanker spills in 2020 was approximately 1,000 tonnes.
- This is the same quantity as recorded in 2012 and 2019, and the lowest annual figure recorded in the last five decades.
Causes of oil spills
For this analysis, the primary causes of oil spills greater than 7 tonnes have been grouped into Allisions/ Collisions, Groundings, Hull Failures, Equipment Failures, Fires and Explosions, Others and Unknown.
Events such as heavy weather damage and human error have been categorized as “Other” and spills where the relevant information is not available have been designated as Unknown and are reported but excluded from the analysis.
Most oil spills (>7 tonnes) recorded between 1970 and 2020 were caused by Allisions/Collisions and Groundings. It is evident that whilst the overall number of spills has reduced, the proportion of those that arise from Allisions/Collisions has increased and those due to groundings have decreased.
It can also be seen that less than 10% of spills (>7 tonnes) are caused by fires and explosions. Interestingly, the quantity of oil lost as a result of Fire/ Explosion is comparable to the quantity spilled from groundings and collisions, each responsible for about 26% of the total quantity of oil spilled since 1970.
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Source: ITOPF
