Mexico Oil spills

Mexico Oil spills

Subject: Environment

Context: Divers searching for the origin of a substantial oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico one of several spotted off Louisiana’s coast after Hurricane Ida have discovered three damaged pipelines near the leak.

Concept:

What is an Oil Spill?

• An oil spill refers to any uncontrolled release of crude oil, gasoline, fuels, or other oil by-products into the environment. Oil spills can pollute land, air, or water, though it is mostly used for oceanic oil spills.
• They have become a major environmental problem, chiefly as a result of intensified petroleum exploration and production on continental shelves and the transport of large amounts of oils in vessels.

Environmental Impacts

• Oil on ocean surfaces is harmful to many forms of aquatic life because it prevents sufficient amounts of sunlight from penetrating the surface, and it also reduces the level of dissolved oxygen.
• Crude oil ruins the insulating and waterproofing properties of feathers and fur of birds, and thus oil-coated birds and marine mammals may die from hypothermia (decrease in body temperature to below-normal levels).
• Moreover, ingested oil can be toxic to affected animals, and damage their habitat and reproductive rate.
• Saltwater marshes and mangroves frequently suffer from oil spills.
• Experts say that despite best efforts, generally less than 10% of oil spilled in incidents like these is successfully

Different methods of cleaning sea after an oil spill

• Oil Booms: These are also called “Containment Booms” which encloses the oil to a smaller area and not let it spread further. This method is employed when the area of spill is comparatively smaller.
• Skimmers: Once the oil is bounded by oil booms, it can be extracted or skimmed easily with the help of skimmers or oil scoops. These skimmers are fitted onto boats and remove the floating oil or greasy contaminants. It is an economical method of oil clean-up because the equipment used for skimming oil are relatively cheaper.
• Oil Zapper is a cocktail of bacteria that feed on the oil and degrade the hydrocarbons.
• Newer methods and technologies like Nanosheets that could revolutionize oil spill clean ups and water purification needs to be deployed.
• Sorbents: The materials which can adsorb or absorb the liquid are termed as sorbents. It is an easy process of oil cleanup. Most common sort of sorbents we all are familiar with are peat moss, vermiculite (straw) and hay.
• Burning: It is similar to burning rice husk after yielding rice crop. In this method, the floating oil is set to fire by igniting it safely. It is the most proficient method of oil clean up as it can efficiently remove 98% of total spilt oil.
• Dispersants: When oil cannot be confined with booms then we are left with the last option of oil disintegration. Dispersals are the chemicals which are spread over spilt oil to initiate disintegration of oil.
• Other Methods: Some other methods employed for safer oil spill clean-ups from the sea are hot water washing or washing with high-pressure water; manual labour; bioremediation and natural recovery.

Gulf of Mexico

• It is the largest gulf in the world. It is bordered by the United States, Mexico, and the island nation of Cuba. It has a coastline of about 5,000 km.
• The Gulf dead zone owes its size to the mighty Mississippi River, which collects tons of nutrients from agricultural and urban runoff from cities through its course.
• Dead zone in the Gulf of the Mexico is the world’s second largest. The world’s largest dead zone is in the Baltic Sea.

International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (Bunker Convention)

• The Convention was adopted to ensure that adequate, prompt, and effective compensation is available to persons who suffer damage caused by spills of oil, when carried as fuel in ships’ bunkers. The Convention applies to damage caused on the territory, including the territorial sea, and in exclusive economic zones of States Parties.
• The bunkers convention provides a free-standing instrument covering pollution damage only. In 2015 India ratified the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (Bunker Convention). Convention ensures adequate, prompt and effective compensation for damage caused by oil spills.