Oil spills have been one of the major concerns of the marine world for a long time. They are commercial and environmental catastrophes, involving ships or oil platforms. Oil spill disasters pollute the marine ecosystem and the impact is felt for decades. In addition to killing fish, marine mammals and birds, oil spills contaminate beaches, coastal settlements and wildlife habitats. Read along to learn about 15 Major Oil Spills in the World. 1. Gulf War oil spill The world’s largest oil spill was the result of a war. During the Gulf War in 1991, as the Iraqi forces withdrew from Kuwait, they opened pipelines and the valves of oil wells and set fire as a measure to block the forces of the United States from landing in the area. The fire started after the opening of the first well in January 1991 and lasted till the capping of the last well in April of that year. As a result, around 240 million gallons of oil are believed to have been discharged into the Persian Gulf, killing hundreds of fish and marine mammals. 2. Deepwater Horizon Also known as the Gulf of Mexico Oil spill and BP oil spill, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is considered the largest oil spill in the petroleum industry’s history. In April 2010, the accident began after a spill from a seafloor oil gusher, leading to the explosion of BP’s oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, in its Macondo Prospect. Image Credits: Wikipedia The accident killed 11 men working abroad on the rig and resulted in an oil spill that continued for over three months. An estimated 53,000 barrels were flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every day. The accident also caused extensive damage to the marine environment. According to the Centre for Biological Diversity, the oil spill killed over 82,000 birds, 25,900 marine mammals, 6,000 sea turtles and tens of thousands of fish, among others. 3. Ixtoc 1 Oil Well In June 1979, the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico saw the collapse of an oil well operated by the Mexican petroleum company Pemex. Around 140 million gallons of oil was discharged into the sea during 10 months. Image Credits: Wikipedia The oil slick measured around 1100 square miles, and surrounded Rancho Nuevo, a prominent nesting site for Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles on Mexican coasts. Moreover, to reduce the impact on marine life, thousands of baby sea turtles were moved to the cleaner part of the ocean. 4. Atlantic Empress In July 1979, two oil tankers collided in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Tobago, during a tropical storm. When the accident occurred, the Atlantic Empress was en route to Beaumont from Saudi Arabia while the Aegean Captain was sailing from Aruba to Singapore. Immediately after the accident, the supertankers- the Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain- started to leak their cargo. Representation Image According to reports, around 88.3 million gallons of crude oil were discharged into the sea, making the accident the largest ship-sourced oil spill in the world. In addition, the accident also claimed the lives of 26 crew members as the Atlantic Empress exploded later. 5. Nowruz Field Platform During the 1983 Iran-Iraq war, an oil tanker hit the Nowruz Field platform in the Persian Gulf, leading to a major oil spill. It is estimated that about 80 million gallons of oil- around 1500 barrels a day flowed into the Persian Gulf, for seven months after the accident. Representation Image The capping could be done only in September as the continuous war meant that the oil spill pollution could no