Environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill The 2010 "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been described as the worst environmental disaster in the United States, releasing about of crude oil making it the largest marine oil spill. Both the spill and the cleanup efforts had effects on the environment. The oil spill was called the "worst environmental disaster the US has faced" by White House energy adviser Carol Browner. The spill was by far the largest in US history, almost 20 times greater than the usual estimate of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Factors
2009 Lüderitz oil spill 2009 Lüderitz oil spill The 2009 Lüderitz oil spill began in April 2009 off the coast of Lüderitz, Namibia. The oil spill directly affected 171 African penguins, with many more possibly threatened. The oil spill is in the area where the fishing trawler "Meob Bay" sank in June 2002, killing 19 seamen. The boat sank after a rope got caught in the propeller, which then detached causing water to flood into the engine room. However, an inspection of the site where the vessel had sunk showed that the wreck was not the source of the oil; the source of the