The Dirty Business of Moving Oil: 13 Spills in 30 Days

Home > Environment Published April 12, 2013 - 9:00am

Moving oil is a dirty business and never has that been more clear than this past month. In the past 30 days, the global oil industry has had 13 spills on three continents. And it's not just pipeline leaks. Oil has spilled offshore and on, at train derailments and during routine maintenance. In North and South America alone, more than a million gallons of oil and toxic chemicals have been spilled - enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

How bad has it been? Here's an infographic I made of all the oil spills, leaks and transport derailments in the past 30 days.

"Enough is enough! How many of these accidents do we need to see before we get serious about phasing out our dependence on this dangerous industry? We have a choice to make between charting a course for our future and our children's future. Saying no to the Keystone XL, Enbridge Northern Gateway, Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline and other proposals means saying yes to safer, healthier communities and getting serious about green jobs that we can feel proud of." - Ben West, Tar Sands Campaign Director for Forest Ethics Advocacy

All spills in order of occurrence:

March 11 – 21: Gwagwalada Town, Nigera

A week-long leak of Kilometer 407.5 NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corp) pipeline. No official number of barrels spilled released, however the spill saturated a hectare (10,000 sq metres) of marshy ground near a major water source.

Tuesday, March 19: Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories Canada

Enbridge Norman Wells Pipeline leaks 6,290 barrels of crude oil.

Monday, March 25: Fort MacKay, Alberta Canada

Suncor Tar Sands tailings pond leaks 2,200 barrels of toxic waste fluid into the Athabasca River.

Wednesday, March 27: Parker Prairie, Minnesota

CP Rail train derails and spills 952 barrels of Tar Sands crude oil.

Friday, March 29: Mayflower, Arkansas

Exxon Mobil’s Pegasus Pipeline suffers a 22 foot-long rupture, spilling at least 12,000 barrels of diluted Tar Sands bitumen.

Sunday, March 31: A power plant in Lansing, Michigan

16 barrels of an oil-based hydraulic fluid spills into the Grand River.

Tuesday, April 2: Nembe, Nigeria

After suffering a reported theft of 60,000 barrels of oil per day from its Nembe Creek Trunkline pipeline, Shell Nigeria shuts off the pipe for 9 days to repair damage.

Wednesday, April 3: 350KM southeast of Newfoundland, Canada