The effectiveness of double hulls in reducing vessel-accident oil spillage

While much work has been done in investigating determinants of oil spillage attributed to vessel accidents, little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of ship hull design in reducing marine pollution. This paper addresses whether the double-hull requirement reduces vessel-accident oil spillage. The volume of oil spillage due to oil-cargo vessel accidents was investigated using tobit regressions and an empirical data set of individual vessel accident pollution incidents investigated by the US Coast Guard from 2001 to 2008. The results indicate that the double hull design on average reduces the size of oil spills by 20% and 62% in tank barge and tanker ship accidents, respectively.     

Effects of oil pollution on breeding Grey Seals

Marine mammals are probably frequently exposed to floating oil but little is known about the effect oil pollution has on them. Oil stranded on the shore in Pembrokeshire, West Wales in September 1974 coincided with the start of the Grey Seal breeding season there. Observations have been made on the effect the oil had on the newborn pups and their mothers.     

The effect of oil pollution in Bantry Bay

The biological damage caused by the large oil spill in Bantry Bay and the clean-up measures adopted to deal with it (already reported in the Marine Pollution Bulletin) has been followed up in the months following the oil spill. This report refers to damage to algae and lichens.     

Twenty years of Belgian North Sea aerial surveillance: a quantitative analysis of results confirms effectiveness of international oil pollution legislation

Over the years many policy measures have been taken to prevent illegal oil discharges from ships, like the MARPOL 73/78 Convention (1983) and the Bonn Agreement (1969/1983). However, the number of discharges remained high, leading to chronic oiling of seabirds and sensitive coastlines, therefore further measures were taken. The aim of this study is to quantify the effectiveness of two key legislative regulations: the IMO-designation of the North Sea as MARPOL Special Area which took effect in 1999, and the adoption of the EU Directive on Port Reception Facilities in 2000. Under study is the heavily navigated Belgian Surveillance Area, monitored since 1991, characterised by shallow waters with ecologically important sandbanks. The aerial surveillance data from 1991 to 2010 show a stepwise decrease in ship-source oil pollution. Three time periods can be distinguished with two turning points coinciding with the actual implementation of these key legislative measures, confirming their effectiveness.     

Oil pollution in the Cromarty Firth

Cromarty Firth on the north-east coast of Scotland is an area of international importance to wildfowl, and the whole area has been designated a ‘Site of Special Scientific Importance’ by the Nature Conservancy Council. There are proposals to establish National Nature Reserves in two bays in the Firth. The area has also become a centre of activity for the oil industry exploiting the North Sea oilfield. Repeated oil spillages are threatening the conservation value of the area and unless strong measures are taken to reduce and treat oil pollution from all sources, there could be enormous damage to wildlife.     

An empirical analysis of IOPCF oil spill cost data

This paper reports on recent analysis of oil spill cost data assembled by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF). Regression analyses of clean-up costs and total costs have been carried out, after taking care to convert to current prices and remove outliers. In the first place, the results of this analysis have been useful in the context of the ongoing discussion within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on environmental risk evaluation criteria. Furthermore, these results can be useful in estimating the benefit of regulations that deal with the protection of marine environment and oil pollution prevention.     

Molecular test for oil pollution in surface sediments

Polycyclic biological markers, such as pentacyclic triterpanes, can be useful as “molecular markers” in the study of crude oil pollution problems. This has been shown in the case of a weakly polluted surface sediment from the west coast of France. The use of these markers is based on the differences in their distribution, which depend on the degree of maturity of the geological sources.     

Effects of crude oil on corals

Corals are key members of the tropical reef communities, by providing habitat for other organisms and entering importantly into the overall metabolism of the reef community. Concern has been expressed several times at the collapse of the community that would result from damage to corals by oil pollution. So far relatively few experimental studies of the susceptibility of coral to oil have been carried out. In this study four Panamanian coral species have been exposed to marine diesel and bunker oil. These may cause delayed death, but probably more importantly interfere with feeding and metabolism at sub-lethal concentrations.     

Effects of chronic oil pollution on a Caribbean coral reef

Sublethal effects of oil pollution on coral reefs may not become manifest except over very long periods of time. Uniform reefs with an Acropora palmata belt (2 m depth) and a Montastrea annularis community (4 m depth) were originally present along the coast near an oil refinery that has been in operation for more than 60 years in Aruba. Quantitative surveys of reef structure, coral cover, and numbers of juvenile corals along 15 km of the coast showed these reef characteristics to vary significantly in relation to the location of the refinery and the very persistent local current direction. The spatial structure of the reef has deteriorated, living coral cover is low, and less juveniles are present in front and downcurrent of the refinery. Some coral species, such as A. palmata and M. annularis, show a large gap in their distribution along the coast but a species such as Diploria strigosa is relatively abundant in the polluted area. The results of chronic oil pollution (such as spills, clean-ups, etc.) are, after 60 years, clearly discernible over a distance of 10 to 15 km along the reef.     

The effect of oil pollution on the reproduction and feeding behaviour of the sea anemone Actinia equina

The effects of oil pollution on the sea anemone Actinia equina were investigated. Chronic pollution with 2.5 ml.l^?1 crude oil resulted, for about seven weeks, in ejection of increased numbers of the young which are normally brooded within the gastric cavity. Subsequently the numbers of surviving young being produced fell to zero, and the ovaries were found to be regressed and lacking ova. The anemones were also more frequently observed with tentacles expanded and mouth open, but the response to food offered to the tentacles was slow or absent. In separate tests it was found that crude oil presented on filter paper to the anemones could act as a feeding inducer, but that it interfered with or diluted the action of natural feeding inducers present in fish muscle extract. These effects are comparable with those which oil pollution has been found by other workers to have upon other anthozoans—the corals.     

The Dona Marika oil spill

Last August, 3,000 tons of petrol (gasolene) was spilled in Milford Haven when the tanker, Dona Marika, ran aground. Since most documented oil spills in British waters have been of crude oil, there is considerable interest in knowing the damage caused by this spillage of a refined oil product.     

The threat of oil pollution to north Scottish seabird colonies

A report of the recent oil pollution incident in northern Scotland in which 1,200 dead birds, mainly guillemots, were found and up to 10,000 may have died. It emphasizes that, with the increasing likelihood of oil pollution in this area, the seabird communities will need to be watched and protected not only during the breeding season but all the year round.     

Review of oil and HNS accidental spills in Europe: identifying major environmental monitoring gaps and drawing priorities

The European Atlantic area has been the scene of a number of extensive shipping incidents with immediate and potential long-term impacts to marine ecosystems. The occurrence of accidental spills at sea requires an effective response that must include a well executed monitoring programme to assess the environmental contamination and damage of the affected marine habitats. Despite a number of conventions and protocols developed by international and national authorities that focused on the preparedness and response to oil and HNS spills, much remains to be done, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring programmes implemented after oil and HNS spills. Hence, the present study reviews the status of the environmental monitoring programmes established following the major spill incidents over the last years in European waters, aiming at identifying the key monitoring gaps and drawing priorities for an effective environmental monitoring of accidental spills.     

Macoma balthica: An indicator of oil pollution

The intertidal bivalve mollusc Macoma balthica shows potential as an indicator of oil pollution. In experiments designed to simulate stranding of an oil slick on a mudflat, a significant increase in mortality of this species was found to accompany increasing concentration of petroleum in sediment and increasing duration of exposure.     

Colonial auks and eiders as potential indicators of oil pollution

Colonial auk (Alcid) populations can be used as indicators of the effects of oil pollution on the seabirds of Canada's coastal zones. Of approximately 11 million breeding colonial alcids in Canada and in adjacent West Greenland waters, 87% are murres. Common Eiders may serve as the best indicators of the effects of oil pollution in Canada's western Arctic where colonial alcids are scarce.     

Concentrations of Scottish seabirds vulnerable to oil pollution

The diving birds most vulnerable to oil pollution normally appear to concentrate in areas of tidal mixing indicated by the development of cooler surface water temperatures offshore. This is not always a reliable guide to their location because they move about with the weather, however, and a survey needs to be made at the time of each incident. The most hazardous situation occurs when sustained onshore winds drift first the birds and then the oil against the coast.     

Echinoderms and oil pollution: A potential stress assay using bacterial symbionts

Oil pollution is a problem in the North Sea. Important sources of oil pollution are spills and drill cutting. Echinoderms are a major component of the macrobenthos in the North Sea (and elsewhere). They tend to be very sensitive to various types of marine pollution. Many species of echinoderms contain symbiotic sub-cuticular bacteria (SCB). The response of Amphiura filiformis, A. chiajei and Ophiothrix fragilis, all of which contain SCB, to oil pollution was studied in laboratory experiments, mesocosms and in the field. Sublethal stress was monitored by examining changes in the tissue loading of SCB. When subjected to hydrocarbon insult, there was a decline in the number of SCB. The potential use of SCB abundance to detect sublethal stress is discussed.     

The role of biogenic hydrocarbons in the assessment of oil pollution of freshwater bodies

The results of studying the concentrations and component composition of hydrocarbons and associated oxidized hydrophobic compounds in water bodies with different degrees of oil product pollution are given. It is shown that the role of biogenic hydrocarbons in the assessment of oil pollution of freshwater bodies, especially those having high biological productivity, can be quite significant. Such assessment requires the examination of their genesis by using the proposed gas-chromatographic and luminescent criteria. The most informative object for observations in the identification of oil and biogenic hydrocarbons for the assessment of chronic oil pollution of freshwater bodies is bottom sediment.     

Recovery potential and chronic oil pollution on the South African coast

Observation of oiled sandy beaches showed the fate of oil released by a tanker collision. The amount of oil extracted depended on timing in the beach erosion and depositing cycle. The recovery of the beaches took about 8 months, but deteriorated again after the arrival of unaccounted oil batches. It is this unaccountable oil which is responsible for chronic oil pollution on the South African coast and possibly other beaches around the world.     

Firth of Forth oil pollution incident, February 1978

Where seaducks and other waterfowl are highly concentrated, even small quantities of oil can be a major hazard. A pollution incident on the Firth of Forth in February 1978 was notable in that it affected 241 Great Crested Grebes Podiceps cristatus (a high proportion of those present at the time) as well as 700 diving ducks. Evidence is provided indicating that the slick passed close to the main wildfowl feeding area at night, oiling nocturnal-feeding Scaup Aythya marila and Pochard A. ferina and a raft of roosting grebes, while Eider Somateria mollissima and Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, which had moved elsewhere to roost, largely escaped. The behaviour of freshly oiled birds is described. Heavily oiled Pochard flew 7 km inland to a loch before they were incapacitated. This is the sixth oil pollution incident to affect a large number of birds on the Forth since January 1970.