Efforts to stem the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Efforts to stem the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Efforts to stem the "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill were ongoing from the time that the "Deepwater Horizon" exploded on 4/20/2010 until the well was sealed by a cap on July 15, 2010. Various species of dolphins and other mammals (61 casualties), birds (2,095 casualties), and the endangered sea turtles (467 casualties) have been killed either directly or indirectly by the oil spill. The "Deepwater Horizon" spill has surpassed in volume the 1989 "Exxon Valdez" oil spill as the largest ever to originate in U.S.-controlled waters; it is comparable to the 1979 Ixtoc
Xingang Port oil spill them unfit for consumption. The economic loss was estimated to be as high as tens of million US dollars. Environmental damage was also serious as a result of the spill; the majority of wildlife inhabiting the area was exposed to oil, which led to the deaths of some, while others were expected to display longer-term effects. Lu Guang's pictures of the oil spill and the subsequent funeral of firefighter Zhang Liang were awarded a third prize in the category "Spot News" in the 2011 World Press Photo contest. Xingang Port oil spill The Xingang Port oil spill is a spill