Arabian Gulf Spills; Persian Gulf, Kuwait
Persian Gulf, Kuwait | 1991-Jan-19
Initial Notification: During the 1991 Gulf War, tankers and oil terminals in Kuwait were destroyed, causing the release of an estimated 6-8 million barrels (252 - 336 million gallons) of oil into the waters of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. Many oil wells in Kuwait were destroyed and set on fire, resulting in the release of much greater amounts of oil and combustion products to land, air, and water in Kuwait. [Edited 05/18/2010 to clarify the amounts of oil released to water vs land and air in this incident.]
Incident Details
Primary threat: | Oil |
Products of concern: | Kuwait crude oil |
Total amount at risk of spill: | 8,000,000 barrels |
Latitude (approximate): | 29° 30.00′ North |
Longitude (approximate): | 48° 0.00′ East |
On-Water Recovery: | Unknown/Not applicable |
Shoreline Cleanup: | Unknown/Not applicable |
Dispersants: | Unknown/Not applicable |
In-Situ Burn: | Unknown/Not applicable |
Bioremediation: | Applied |