3. Ixtoc I, Mexico, 1979 – 138 million gallons

The Ixtoc I, Mexico’s oil spill was not due to any kind of ship wreckage or a curse of bad weather, In fact it was due to a faulty offshore oil well. Nearly 138 million gallons were lost in the sea. The oil rig collapsed and the oil began to freely flow into the Gulf of Mexico and in no time the oil caught fire. Officials predicted that 10,000-30,000 barrels of oil a day were going into the Gulf. The leak did not stop for a year and continued to pollute the natural habitats of Sea. The Strong winds and storms prevented oil to reach shores.

2. Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, 2010 – 172 million gallons

In the Gulf of Mexico a huge oil spill was located in the year April 2010, the cause was predicted as the methane gas was introduced under high pressure which caused the drill column to move up and ignite. The ignition caused a deadly explosion killing 11 workers at the field and 17 injured. The ship burned for complete one and a half day, following then rested in sea forever. The well spitted oil for more than 100 days, oil dispersant was widely spread throughout the sea. All the efforts proved worthless and about 172 million gallons of oil were lost in this accident. On August 3, 2010 the mud was finally pumped into the well to stop the flow of oil. The accident occurred due to the negligence of the higher authority; workers complained and expressed their feelings regarding the problematic well but no actions were made to ensure complete safety.

1. Gulf War, Kuwait, 1991 – 520 million gallons

The Gulf War oil spill was done purposefully in order to avoid American arrival and lessening their oil supplies. Iraqi forces opened the oil wells located at an offshore oil terminal named Sea Island. They also dumped many oil tankers into the Persian Gulf. By the end of it all, about 172 million gallons of oil poured into the Gulf. The oil covered over 4000 square miles and some of it was 5-inches thick. The reports suggest that most of the oil was recovered and got evaporated giving a very little damage but devastated the wild habitat and wild life of Iraq and Kuwait.