Humans continue to make mistakes that affect the planet and species in many ways. While some of these errors might not have significant effects, few leave a lasting footprint on the environment. Incidents such as wildfires and terrorist activities can be devastating on land, but others such as oil spills subject marine life to more significant troubles.

Oil spills at sea continue to raise significant dangers on marine life for a long time. Such environmental catastrophes not only kill fish, the effects cut across the entirety of the ecosystems affecting marine mammals, birds, beaches, human settlements, and beaches.

There have been significant attempts to stop oil spills at sea. Yet, the sea has been on the receiving end for a long time. That said, here are some dreadful oil spills in recent history.

Deepwater Horizon

Probably fresh in the minds of conservationists, this 2010 event is among the largest oil spills in history. This spill was blamed on a seafloor gusher that exploded in the Deepwater horizon. The accident saw more than 1.7 million barrels flow into Mexico’s Gulf a day, causing devastating damages to the marine environment.

Gulf of War Oil Spill

The Gulf of War Oil Spill was the result of a war. The worst part about it is that it was not accidental. This incident was blamed on the Iraqi forces, who resorted to spilling oil at sea as they withdrew from Kuwait to stop US forces from using the ocean. It is believed that close to 240 million gallons of oils were discharged from January to April 1991, wreaking havoc on marine life.

Odyssey Oil Spill

In November 1988, the Odyssey, a Liberian tanker ferrying close to 43 million gallons, crushed along the coast of Canada 700 miles off Nova Scotia’s coast. The accident saw a significant chunk of nearby waters affected, resulting in substantial harm to the aquatic environment.