HydrocarbonsSources, Characteristics and Impacts I

November 2011

Dr Jeanette Reis

OverviewSources of oil pollutionOil production trendsOil spill trendsCase studiesQuestions

Oil Pollution Sources470,000- 8.4 million tonnes per annum globalNatural seeps: 46% Discharges from consumption of oils (operational discharges from ships and discharges from land-based sources): 37% Accidental spills from ships; 12% Extraction of oil: 3%

Global Oil Production 2009http://www.earthday.net/earthdaycurriculum/sustainability-activity.php

UK Oil Production TrendsIn 2009, ~1.4 million barrels per day oil produced in UK~12.3 billion per annum revenue in UK in 2009Oil production is still increasing, but experts think it may peak soonOil imports are growing steadily because supply is contracting and demand is risingIn 2006 the UK changed from an oil Export Land to an oil Import LandCurrently $111 per barrel (14th November 2011)

http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/cmsfiles/modules/publications/pdfs/EC020.pdf

Major Oil Tanker Routeshttp://www.freewebs.com/sagalgroup/oilreserves.htm

UK Tanker TrafficForth (15.5%)Sullom Voe (14.3%)Milford Haven (13.5%) Tees and Hartlepool (9.4%). Owen J (1999) The environmental management of oil tanker routes in UK waters. Marine Policy. Volume: 23, Issue: 4-5, Pages: 289-306

Locations of Tanker Spills

Oil Tanker Spills 1970-2010http://www.itopf.com/information-services/data-and-statistics/statistics/#noKey Messages: Spills since the 1970s recorded. Fewer, smaller (global figures)

1970-2010Causes of Spills >700 tonnesSource: http://www.itopf.com/information-services/data-and-statistics/statistics/ Human error accounts for 80% of all marine accidents!

Ship Traffic Vs Spill Sizeshttp://www.itopf.com/information-services/data-and-statistics/statistics/

Major Oil Spills to Affect the UK-Tanker Accidents1967Torrey Canyon (119000t SW England)1978Amoco Cadiz (223000t Brittany)1993Braer (85000t Shetland)1996Sea Empress (72000t Pembrokeshire)

Eg. Torrey Canyon 1967SW England, 119,000 tonnes crude oilcaused by navigation errorbombed by the RAF: 62,000lbs of bombs5,200 gallons of petrol11 rocketslarge quantities of napalm onto the ship.

The oil slick was finally dispersed by favourable weather, but not before 70 miles of Cornish beaches were seriously contaminated and tens of thousands of seabirds killed.detergent killed more marine life than the oil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV-EhBesVjg

Eg. Sea Empress 1996West Wales (National Park)Caused by human error72,000 tonnes crude oil52-109 million costs (16.5 million in non-use values eg. amenity)Tourism, recreation, fisheries, conservation particularly impacted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EET_6DLaQG8

Deepwater Horizon Rig, USA, April 2010BP's Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April, 2010, killing 11 workers, and leaking an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.The well was finally permanently sealed on 19 September 2010.The total bill for compensating victims currently stands at about $11.2bn (7bn).

How Does This Compare?Are oil tanker or oil rig spills bigger?

Rena, New Zealand, October 2011Causes: ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef. Captain and second officer charged with causing unnecessary dangerConsequences: oil spill (350 tonnes, 3km beach)29 lost containers, rough seas (breaking oil up naturally- sheen, tarballs)1290 dead birds recovered207 live birds in care3 seals in care100 businesses suffering$10m cleanup (could reach $100),

RenaManagement responses: Maritime NZ co-ordinating responsevolunteers assisting shore based efforts- picking oil out of sand, booms to stop oil entering the Makatu estuary, temporarily closed shipping lanecaution against swimmingsphagnum moss to absorb oil, small scale cut away of contaminated seaweeds, hand-pick oil800 tonnes fuel oil pumped off, containers removed, What would you do???

Question???Tanker owners contribute to a $1.125 billion cleanup fund and are liable for spills. Bearing in mind there are operators, pilots, cargo ownersWho should bare the costs of oil spill cleanup?

Further readingwww.itopf.comClark RB (2001) Marine Pollution. Oxford University Press.Marine Pollution BulletinSEEEC (1998) The Sea Empress Oil Spill. Proceedings of the Conference Held in Cardiff on 11-13 February 1998. Sea Empress Environmental Evaluation CommitteeOil in the Sea: No. 3: Inputs, Fates and Effects by Fates, and Effects Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, National Research Council, and National Academy of Sciences (Hardcover -1 Oct 2002) Response to Marine Oil Spills by International Tanker Owner's Pollution Federation (Paperback -31 Oct 2010)www.ipieca.org/system/files/publications/Compensation_1.pdfOwen J (1999) The environmental management of oil tanker routes in UK waters. Marine Policy. Volume: 23, Issue: 4-5, Pages: 289-306

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What are hydrocarbons?In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon Hydrocarbons can be gases (e.g. methane and propane), liquids (e.g. hexane and benzene), waxes or low melting solids (e.g. paraffin wax and naphthalene) or polymers (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene).

What are they used for?The predominant use of hydrocarbons is as a combustible fuel source also used as a basis for petrochemical industry eg. plastics and chemicals*Todays lecture will explore hydrocarbon pollution- its sources, dispersal and impacts. A lot of this information will be saved to the departmental server, so dont worry too much about getting all facts and figures down.

Ive brought a little something along that should help you understand why so many people campaign so vigorously to protect their coasts from the impacts of oil pollution. This is a sample of crude oil mixed with other hydrocarbons that was washed up on the shores of SW England recently. The smell can be quite overpowering, but imagine if you were a limpet/ seal/ seabird coated in this vile product, unable to function properly. Throughout this lecture, Id like you to recall this smell and keep at the forefront of your mind, the foulness associated with oil pollution.*Oil forms the basis of the economy of the developed world. It provides fuel for transportation, heat for houses and offices and raw materials for industry. Until cheap, reliable and widespread alternative resources are found, oil is needed. Although useful and adaptable, if spilled, oil can potentially cause significant damage to the natural and economic environment. Ref: U.S. National Academy of Sciences: Oil in the sea III: Inputs, fates and effects. Report 2002 by the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Oil in the Sea: Inputs, Fates, and Effects *Ref: http://www.earthday.net/earthdaycurriculum/sustainability-activity.php

*http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/cmsfiles/modules/publications/pdfs/EC020.pdf

*So, looking specifically at the UK dimension. The UK is a major importer and exporter of crude oil and petroleum products. UK oil imports come mainly from the Gulf and Indian Ocean, Scandinavia and the Baltic regions[i]. Oil exports, on the other hand are mainly to North America, the Far East, Scandinavia and the Baltic regions[ii]. With reference to Figure 1-3, it may be seen that tanker trade is attracted to destinations where oil cargo is loaded or unloaded. In the UK, pipelines come ashore from the North Sea oil fields to the north and east coasts of England and Scotland. Major terminals that are used as a basis for export are therefore found at Flotta, Hound Point and Seal Sands as well as at Sullom Voe on Shetland[iii]. Tankers arriving at pipeline terminals load high quality North Sea oil before navigating to national and international destinations for further refining. In the absence of pipeline landings, other UK oil tanker ports have developed to supply refineries and the petrochemical industry. In addition, shuttle tankers navigate coastal waters while other tankers undertake offshore loading and unloading activities. Data on frequency and distribution of such traffic is not widely available. [i] Ibid.3. DOT (1997)[ii] DOT (1995) Transport Statistics Report - Seaborne Trade Statistics of the UK in 1994. HMSO.[iii] Hutcheson AM & Hogg A. Scotland and Oil. 2nd Edition. Oliver & Boyd. 1975. pp 38.*Locations of oil tanker spills reflect locations of major ports receiving oil and oil based products. Spills are particularly prevalent around the NW coast of Spain, SW approaches to the UK and in the Eastern Mediterranean.*http://www.itopf.com/information-services/data-and-statistics/statistics/*The world's worst oil environmental disaster occurred when the Exxon Valdez supertanker dumped 11 million gallons (41.6 million liters) of oil into the Alaskan seas in 1989. However, in the UK, weve had our fair share of major oil tanker accidents, for exampleMost large spills (>700 tonnes) are caused by groundings, followed by collisions.The 1967 Torrey Canyon disaster was caused by navigational error. The environmental disaster was made far worse by the heavy use of detergent to disperse the slick. A report into the effect on the marine environment found that the detergent killed far more marine life than the oil. The ship was bombed by the RAF- the RAF and the Royal Navy dropped 62,000lbs of bombs, 5,200 gallons of petrol, 11 rockets and large quantities of napalm onto the ship. The oil slick was finally dispersed by favourable weather, but not before 70 miles of Cornish beaches were seriously contaminated and tens of thousands of seabirds killed. The 1993 Braer[i] incident was the result of a grounding (although there were other factors that contributed, such as rough weather, equipment instability and engine failure) which resulted in the release of 84,700 tonnes of light Norwegian Gullfaks crude oil into the seas around Shetland[ii]. More recently, the 1996 Sea Empress grounding off West Wales resulted in the spillage of 72,000 tonnes of Forties Blend resulting in economic costs of cleanup and compensation estimated between 75 and 106 million[iii]. [i] ESGOSS (1994) The Environmental Impact of the Wreck of the Braer. The Ecological Steering Group on the Oil Spill in Shetland. Published by the Scottish Office.[ii] Ibid.12.ESGOSS (1994) [iii] Moore L (1998) The Economic Cost of the Sea Empress Incident and Implications for Reducing Risk of Future Oil Spills. In The Sea Empress Oil Spill. Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Cardiff, 11-13 February 1998. Edited by Prof. R Edwards and H Sime. Published by Terence Dalton Publishers.

*http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/STS-PS133-E-E.pdf

*Here is an example of one of the worst oil rig disasters.It exceeds the 1979 Ixtoc I leak - also in the Gulf of Mexico. It's comfortably bigger than tanker releases such as the Torrey Canyon and Amoco Cadiz, and 20 times the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill with which it is often compared. Ref: bbc.co.ukhttp://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/interactive-oil-spill-map/w-spillLoc.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/interactive-oil-spill-map/&usg=__6CQdkTRhHqzAw8cMgylnJXTwt1o=&h=662&w=970&sz=419&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=iNn3sVEqPG8TLM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=204&prev=/images%3Fq%3Doil%2Brig%2Bspill%2Bmap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26channel%3Ds%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D639%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=967&vpy=273&dur=8141&hovh=185&hovw=272&tx=179&ty=59&ei=ryHPTODUFc2NjAflirzDDA&oei=ryHPTODUFc2NjAflirzDDA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0

*Source: oil spill intelligence report 2010/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10851837

Following release of the US government's latest estimate, the Deepwater Horizon disaster is confirmed as the biggest ever accidental release of oil into the oceans. Caused by failure of a blowout preventer valve.

Deep unknowns So how much do we know? Several hundred thousand seabirds died from the Exxon Valdez spill - possibly as many as 600,000, according to some estimates.By contrast, the number of birds found dead along the Gulf of Mexico coast is a little over 3,000.Just over 500 sea turtles and 64 dolphins have also been found dead. But that is partly a function of the leak's geography; turtles would not have been affected by the Exxon Valdez simply because they do not frequent the coasts of Alaska. Conversely, the Exxon Valdez claimed the lives of several thousand sea otters - which do not live along the Gulf coast.*