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Figure 1.12 – One of the worst spills in Australian history

A tanker hit a rig off the coast of Iran, and the rig began leaking 1,500 barrels

a day. Because Iran and Iraq were at war, the oil flow was not stopped, and the

platform was later attacked by Iraqi warplanes. Later, a second platform was

attacked, and initially spilled 5,000 barrels a day before slowing to 1,500. Two

years passed before Iran capped the wells, but by then over 733,000 barrels

(30,786,000 gallons) of oil spilled into the Persian Gulf (fig. 1.13).

Figure 1.13 – Nowruz oil field, Persian Gulf, 1983

A blowout at a well five miles off the coast of Santa Barbara caused a leak

that flowed for 11 days and 80,000 to 100,000 barrels (46,200,000 gallons) were

released. According to a report by the University of California, Santa Barbara, the

spill affected 800 square miles of ocean and coated 35 miles of coastline with oil

(fig. 1.14).

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