Top 5 recent oil spills: BP is not the only company struggling to clean up its act

With all the attention focused on BP, you might not have heard of these other recent spills. Though smaller, the effects of these five spills are still being felt across the globe.

Timor Sea

In August 2009, an oil platform in the Montara oil field in the Timor Sea exploded, leaking oil into the waters off the northwest coast of Australia and into Indonesian fishing grounds. Estimates range from 1.2 to 9 million gallons of oil spilled. The spill has been catastrophic for Indonesian fishermen and seaweed farms and will take years to clean up. Both Indonesia and Australia have called for the rig’s operator, the Thai company PTTEP Australasia, to be held responsible.

Salt Lake City, Utah

A month after an electrical short burned a hole in a Chevron pipeline in Red Butte Creek near Salt Lake City, cleanup crews are still working on removing traces of the spill. On the morning of June 12, the pipe leaked about 33,000 gallons into the creek, some of which spilled into the nearby Jordan River. Cleanup crews have recovered much of the oil and are now cleaning individual rocks in the creek. The river remains closed to the public.

Hurghada, Egypt

On June 17, an oil slick was discovered north of Hurghada, Egypt, in the Red Sea. It has affected around 20 kilometers of coastline, much of it popular tourist destinations.  The leak has been sealed but the oil has damaged coral reefs and beaches in the area, threatening two of Hurghada’s most important industries — tourism and fishing.  The Egyptian government has blamed the spill on tankers transporting oil through the Red Sea, though local scientists and activists said it more likely came from a busted oil rig owned by the government.

Montreal, Canada

The bulk oil carrier MV Richelieu ran aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway on the south shore of Montreal on the night of July 12.  The ship spilled about 20 tons of oil and caused authorities to close the seaway until July 15 when they allowed traffic to resume at a slow pace. Because the spill was quickly contained, there will be little damage to the environment, though many large shipping companies have incurred hefty late fees due to the closing of the seaway.

Rosario, Philippines

At the height of typhoon “Basyang” on July 14, an underwater Petron pipeline was damaged, causing a spill two nautical miles off the coast of the small town of Rosario in Cavite Province, Philippines. Current estimates suggest that about 150 gallons have spilled so far. Local authorities have used both a boom and oil dispersant, though they have not yet located the source of the leak and oil continues to flow out of the pipe.