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Largest Oil Spills Affecting U.S. Waters Since 1969

Thousands of spills occur in U.S. waters annually—most small, less than one barrel. This infographic shows where and when spills over 10,000 barrels or 420,000 gallons have occurred.

Map of North America showing circles of various sizes representing spills in U.S. waters. The depicted spills are outlined in the table of data below the graphic.
Largest oil spills affecting U.S. waters since 1969-2024. Image credit: NOAA Office of Response and Restoration. Click to enlarge.
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Every year, the Office of Response and Restoration responds to over 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. waters. Oil spills are more common than you might think, and they happen in many different ways.

These spills can threaten life, property, and public natural resources. They can also substantially disrupt marine transportation with potential widespread economic impacts. Derived from records and information kept by NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, NOAA’s list of largest spills is ranked by spill volume, however, spill volume is only one factor in determining the overall significance of a spill. Location, time of year, environmental sensitivity, and type of oil are also important. Even small spills can cause significant environmental and economic harm depending upon where they occur.

Derived from records and information kept by NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, NOAA’s list of largest spills is ranked by spill volume, however, spill volume is only one factor in determining the overall significance of a spill. Location, time of year, environmental sensitivity, and type of oil are also important. Even small spills can cause significant environmental and economic harm depending upon where they occur.

 
Infographic Text:

 

Largest Oil Spills Affecting U.S. Waters Since 1969
Date Incident Name Location Gallons Barrels Incident Type Oil Type

4/20/2010

Deepwater Horizon

Gulf of Mexico

133,980,000

3,190,000

Exploratory Well

Crude

6/3/1979

Ixtoc 1[i]

Gulf of Mexico

126,000,000

3,000,000

Exploratory Well

Crude

2/26/1977

Hawaiian Patriot

Hawaii

31,000,000

738,095

Tanker

Crude

1/31/1975

Epic Colocotronis

Puerto Rico

18,000,000

428,571

Tanker

Crude

3/24/1989

Exxon Valdez

Alaska

11,000,000

261,905

Tanker

Crude

11/1/1979

Burmah Agate

Galveston, TX

10,700,000

254,762

Tanker

Crude

1/31/1975

Corinthos

Delaware River

10,500,000

250,000

Tanker

Crude

2/27/1971

Texaco Oklahoma

Cape Hatteras

7,900,000

188,095

Tanker

Crude

12/15/1976

Argo Merchant

Nantucket, MA

7,700,000

183,333

Tanker

#6

6/22/1972

Schuylkill River Spill

Douglassville, PA

7,000,000

166,667

Hurricane

Waste Oil

8/30/2005

Hurricane Katrina

Louisiana

7,000,000

166,667

Hurricane

Crude

6/8/1990

Mega Borg

Offshore, TX

5,100,000

121,429

Tanker

Crude

1/28/1969

Santa Barbara

California

4,000,000

95,238

Oil Platform

Crude

1/4/1988

Ashland Petroleum

Monongahela River

3,800,000

90,476

Storage Tank

#2

6/14/1971

Santa Augusta

St. Croix, USVI

3,300,000

78,571

Tanker

Crude

7/30/1984

Alvenus

Calcasieu, LA

2,800,000

66,667

Tanker

Crude

2/10/1970

Chevron Main Pass Block 41

Offshore, LA

2,730,000

65,000

Well

Crude

1/6/1972

USS General M.C. Meigs

Cape Flattery, WA

2,300,000

54,762

Troop Ship

Bunker

5/26/1976

Wellen Oil Company

Hackensack River, NJ

2,000,000

47,619

Tank Farm

#6

12/26/1988

UMTB 283

Shumagin Is, AK

2,000,000

47,619

Barge

#2

11/11/2005

DBL 152

Gulf of Mexico

1,900,000

45,238

Barge

Bunker

6/19/2006

Citgo Refinery

Lake Charles, LA

2,268,000

54,000

Refinery

Waste Oil

3/18/1973

Zoe Colocotroni

Puerto Rico

1,500,000

35,714

Tanker

Crude

1/13/1974

Zannis

Guayanilla, PR

1,500,000

35,714

Tanker

Crude

10/31/1984

Puerto Rican

San Francisco, CA

1,500,000

35,714

Tanker

Bunker

12/17/1976

Sansinena

Los Angeles, CA

1,260,000

30,000

Tanker

Crude

7/26/2010

Kalamazoo River

Michigan

1,100,000

26,190

Pipeline

Crude

9/17/1989

Hurricane Hugo

St. Croix, USVI

1,008,000

24,000

Tank Farm

#6

2004

Taylor Energy Platform[iv]

Gulf of Mexico

1,000,000

23,809

Oil Platform

Crude

7/26/1996

Reedy River

Simpsonville, SC

957,000

22,786

Pipeline

#2

1/18/1971

Oregon Standard

San Francisco, CA

840,000

20,000

Collision

Bunker Fuel

1/19/1996

North Cape

Rhode Island

828,000

19,714

Tank Barge

Diesel

1/7/1994

Morris J. Berman

Puerto Rico

800,000

19,047

Tank Barge

Bunker

3/6/1990

Cibro Savannah

Linden, NJ

700,000

16,667

Barge

#2

7/28/1990

Apex Barges

Galveston, TX

692,000

16,476

Barge

Feed Stock

10/13/2017

Mississippi Canyon 209

Offshore Louisiana

672,000

16,000

Pipeline

Crude

7/13/1988

Nord Pacific

Corpus Christi, TX

650,000

15,476

Tanker

Crude

12/7/2022

Mill Creek Pond Inland Oil Spill

Devon, KS

588,000

14,000

Pipeline

Diluted Bitumen

3/6/1991

Vista Bella[ii]

USVI and Puerto Rico

570,000

13,571

Barge

Bunker

1/1/1990

Exxon Bayway

Arthur Kill, NJ

567,000

13,500

Pipeline

#2

11/28/2000

Westchester

Buras, LA

554,000

13,190

Tanker

Crude

12/4/1986

Amazon Venture

Savannah River, SC

500,000

11,905

Tanker

#6

5/10/2019

Bayport Channel Collision

Houston Ship Channel, TX

462,000

11,000

Collision

Reformate

1/23/2010

Eagle Otome

Port Arthur, TX

462,000

11,000

Tanker

Crude

12/19/1978

Peck Slip

Puerto Rico

460,000

10,952

Barge

Bunker

7/22/1991

Tenyo Maru[iii]

Cape Flattery, WA

450,000

10,714

Fishing Vessel

Mixed

9/28/1985

Grand Eagle

Marcus Hook, PA

435,000

10,357

Tanker

Crude

7/23/2008

DM932

New Orleans, LA

420,000

10,000

Barge

#6

[i] Occurred in Mexico waters but oil traveled to US waters
[ii] Occurred in Canadian waters but oil traveled to US waters  
[iii] Occurred in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis but oil traveled to US waters
[iv] The Taylor Energy spill has been ongoing since 2004 and the volume isn't known at this time. Detailed flow rate monitoring in 2018 indicated the release of approximately 900 gallons per day. 1M gallons were collected via a containment system 2019-2022. https://darrp.noaa.gov/oil-spills/taylor-energy

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to develop a complete list, there may be incidents that NOAA was not involved in and therefore are not represented here. This list is also focused on spills on or into navigable waters. There have been large terrestrial and underground spills that are not listed here. Also note that spill volumes may be inexact as some of these incidents involved fires, sinkings, hurricanes, and other conditions causing uncertainty.

Last updated Thursday, March 21, 2024 1:31pm PDT