Another shipwreck. Another oil spill. This time off India’s coast, where a cargo vessel leaked hundreds of tons of fuel near Kerala, dragging toxic chemicals into fragile marine zones.
In 2025, with tracking, smart ships, and ESG reports, one would think oil spills were behind us, but they are not. And every time it happens, it is a stark reminder of how fragile the system really is.
Here are five of the worst oil spills in history that somehow feel a lot like the present.
Deepwater Horizon (2010) — Gulf of Mexico, USA
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the biggest ocean oil spill in history. It started on April 20th, 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig was owned by a company called Transocean, but it was originally used by BP.
The explosion happened because gas shot up through a weak cement seal and caught fire. Eleven workers died, and seventeen were injured. Two days later, the rig sank, and oil started leaking from under the sea.
BP tried different ways to stop the leak, but most did not work at first. A safety valve failed, and oil kept pouring out. BP managed to close the leak and used mud and cement to seal the well. By September, the leak was finally stopped. Approximately 5 million barrels of oil had spilled.
The oil spread over a huge area, harming sea, animals, and more. Crews used chemicals, barriers, and even fire to clean up the oil. Some beaches were cleaned by hand. The spill hit the fishing and tourism industries especially hard across the Gulf region. BP therefore set up a $20 billion fund to help, but it took years for the area to start recovering from the terrible incident.
Gulf War Oil Spill (1991) – Kuwait
The Gulf War oil spill happened in 1991, during the first Gulf War. Iraqi soldiers opened oil tanks and pipelines on purpose to slow down enemy troops. This caused a huge amount of oil to spill into the Persian Gulf. Between 200 and 300 million gallons, which is roughly 5 to 7 million barrels of oil, was spilled into the sea.
The oil kept spilling for months. It even spread across the waters of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. It caused severe damage to nature and animals, as many fish, birds, and sea animals died because of the spill.
It especially hurt the economy. Kuwait lost a significant amount of money because its oil industry was severely affected by the war. Fishing and tourism were also hit hard since beaches and fishing spots were closed.
People’s health was at risk too. The oil and fumes released harmful chemicals into the air and water. Some people got sick, with serious health problems like nausea, headaches, and breathing issues.
Many countries helped with the cleanup. They used barriers to stop the oil, special boats to collect it, and workers to clean up the beaches. The UN even created a fund to help affected countries, and over $52 billion was paid out in compensation for the environmental damage caused by the spill.
Ixtoc I (1979) – Gulf of Mexico, Mexico
The Ixtoc I oil spill started on June 3, 1979, when a deep oil well in the Bay of Campeche had a blowout. The blowout happened because a drilling mud stopped working properly, and oil and gas burst out of the well. The oil and gas that got out caught fire, and consequently the platform started to burn and finally collapsed into the sea.
Robots and divers tried to reach the safety valve, but there was a lot of wreckage and bad visibility below the surface. When they did reach the valve, the pressure from the oil and gas was too strong for them to fix it.
To fix the problem, two relief wells were needed to be drilled to reduce the pressure. Meanwhile, other teams used skimmers and barriers to clean up the spilled oil. The oil kept leaking for 10 months, at an approximate rate of 10,000 to 30,000 barrels per day, until the well was finally capped in March 1980. The oil spread over a wide area and reached the coasts of Mexico and even the U.S.
The Atlantic Empress Oil Spill (1979) – Trinidad & Tobago
The Atlantic Empress oil spill happened on July 19, 1979, when two large oil tankers, the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain, collided in the Caribbean Sea, about 10 miles off the coast of Tobago.
The Atlantic Empress was carrying a significant amount of oil, about 2 million barrels. After the horrific crash, the ship caught fire, and a massive amount of oil spilled into the sea. Several crew members lost their lives because of this accident.
Emergency crews tried to put out the fire and used chemicals to break up the oil. Additionally, the Atlantic Empress was towed away from the coast to reduce the danger to land. However, a week later, the ship exploded again and sank on August 2, 1979.
Thomas W. Lawson (1907) – Scilly Isles, UK
The Thomas W. Lawson was the world’s largest pure sailing vessel, and the only seven-masted schooner ever built. In 1906, it was converted into the first pure sailing oil tanker, carrying up to 60,000 barrels of oil alone.
On its route from Marcus Hook to London in November 1907, a North Atlantic storm destroyed its sails and destroyed several lifeboats. Blown toward the Scilly Isles, the crew dropped anchors to withstand the storm, but unfortunately both chains snapped. The vessel struck the ground and broke apart, and spilled its entire cargo, marking history’s first major marine oil spill.
Sixteen crew members were lost, and only two survived. Sixty years later in 1967, another tanker the Torrey Canyon would also wreck on nearly the same place, underscoring how long and how severely oil transport accidents have troubled the sea over time.
Despite advances in technology and regulation, these five disasters remind us that until today, a single mistake or act of sabotage can unleash centuries-worth of damage in just hours. What do you think?
