1. Discharges to the sea
Oil
Name – Date

2. Discharges to the sea - Oil
Contents
Introduction
Oil and oil products
What happens to an oil spill?
Main impacts
Ecological
Economic
Vegetable oils
The role of shipping
Solutions 2
Photo credits: ITOPF/North Sea Foundation

3. 1. Introduction The importance of oil
In 2011: production of 87 million barrels per day
Oil in the sea is seen as a major environmental problem.
Oil may enter the environment during production, transport and use.
Photo credits: ProSea

4. Large variety of products
2. Oil and oil products
Large variety of products
Diesel oil, gas oil, kerosene, LPG, bunkeroil
Crude Oil - mix
30% gasoil
10% kerosene
15 % light distillate
25 % heavy distillate
20% residu
Photo credits: North Sea Foundation

5. Crude oil also contains
Nitrogen, Sulphur , Oxygen
Different heavy metals (Fe, Zn)
Hundreds of different chemicals
Chemical composition varies

6. 3. What happens to an oil spill
Very fast evaporation (C1 to C10)
Soluble fraction
Floating layer (>C10), subject to natural dispersion
A persistent floating layer (>C15)
Illustration credits: ProSea

7. Weathering
Photo and illustration credits: ITOPF

8. Persistence of oil
Photo credits: ITOPF

9. Oil in the sea is seen as a major environmental
4. Main impacts
Oil in the sea is seen as a major environmental
problem – big spills get a lot of attention
Photo credits: ITOPF

10. 4. Main impacts - ecological
Impact depends on:
Type and amount of oil
Weather conditions and season
Area where the spill takes place
Adverse effects of oil discharges at sea depend more on
the site of discharge than on the size of the discharge.
Photo credits: ITOPF

11. Birds
Photo credits:Ecomare

12. Toxic effects/plankton
Salt marsh/mangroves
Tainting shellfish
Photo credits:NIOZ, Josje Snoek/ProSea/Ecomare

13. 4. Main impacts - economic
Photo credits: ITOPF/NOAA

14. 5. Vegetable oils Oil extractions from plants and fruit
such as palm nut, sunflower, soybean, olive, ...
They are not as ‘innocent’ as we might think
Vegetable oil spill can be equally problematic as mineral oil spill
Plumage of birds
Fur of mammals
Smothering of bottom dwellers
Photo credits: ELASTEC AmericanMarine

15. 6. The role of shipping Where does oil in the sea come from?
Total (2002) – 1,3 million tons oil (1973 – 6,1 million)
Natural seeps (47%)
Extraction (3%)
Transportation (12%)
- tank vessel spills ( )
- operational discharges (36.000)
Consumption (38%)
- land-based ( )
- operational discharges ( )
- spills (7.000)
‘Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates and Effect’, National Research Council. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, U.S., 2002.

16. Accidental spills: 8% of all oil in the sea
Photo credits:ITOPF

17. Operational discharges all ships: 24% of all oil in the sea
Photo credits: ProSea

18. 6. The role of shipping
Since 1979, the amount of oil in the sea, as a result of shipping operations, has declined drastically.
Spills over 700 tons
Illustration credits: ITOPF

19. 6. The role of shipping
Only a small fraction of oil in the marine environment comes from tanker accidents
Routine shipping operations contribute three times as much
Photo credits: ITOPF/ProSea

20. 7. Solutions MARPOL Annex I (oil and oil products)
Discharge permitted, under certain circumstances (15 ppm)
Double hull
Oil Record book
Special areas

21. Oily bilge water separator
Photo credits: Environmental Protection Engineering S.A.

22. Incinerator
Photo credits: Atlas Incinerators

23. Port reception facilities
Photo credits: Port of Rotterdam

24. Questions?