In 2022, around 15,000 tonnes of oil infiltrated the world’s waters through leaked tankers, and with this in mind, new research has revealed that Nigeria is responsible for 7 major oil spills over the past century – the 6th most worldwide.
As part of their Oil Spills Index – the experts at Utility Bidder have profiled the countries with the most oil spills between 1903 and 2023, as well as taking into account the countries with the largest amount of oil lost per spill, the change in global oil spill numbers over the past 50 years.
Countries with the most oil spills between 1903-2023
Rank Country Number of Oil Spills
1 United States 108
2 South Africa 15
3 Canada 14
4 United Kingdom 9
5 Chile 8
6 Australia 7
6 Brazil 7
6 Nigeria 7
9 France 5
10 Norway 4
10 Spain 4
The research and further findings have revealed:
• The United States is the biggest oil producer worldwide, and the country has clocked up over 100 oil spills since 1903, accounting for around 42% of the world total.
• Over the course of these spills, the United States has wasted over 2 million tonnes of oil – equating to over 27,000 tonnes lost per spill.
• Iraq loses more oil per spill than any other country – totalling 545,000 tonnes per spill. This resulted from a deliberate leak by Iraqi forces into the Persian Gulf in the 1990s.
• There has been an 88.14% decrease in the number of global oil spills over the last 50 years. There were just 7 spills from tankers in 2022 as compared with 59 in 1973.
You can review the research here – https://www.utilitybidder.co.uk/compare-business-energy/oil-spills-index/
