<P> Crude oil and refined fuel spills from tanker ship accidents have damaged vulnerable ecosystems in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, the Galapagos Islands, France, the Sundarbans, Ogoniland, and many other places . The quantity of oil spilled during accidents has ranged from a few hundred tons to several hundred thousand tons (e.g., Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Atlantic Empress, Amoco Cadiz), but volume is a limited barometer of damage or impact . Smaller spills have already proven to have a great impact on ecosystems, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill because of the remoteness of the site or the difficulty of an emergency environmental response . </P> <P> Oil spills at sea are generally much more damaging than those on land, since they can spread for hundreds of nautical miles in a thin oil slick which can cover beaches with a thin coating of oil . These can kill seabirds, mammals, shellfish and other organisms they coat . Oil spills on land are more readily containable if a makeshift earth dam can be rapidly bulldozed around the spill site before most of the oil escapes, and land animals can avoid the oil more easily . </P> <Table> Largest oil spills <Tr> <Th> Spill / Tanker </Th> <Th> Location </Th> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Tonnes of crude oil (thousands) </Th> <Th> Barrels (thousands) </Th> <Th> US Gallons (thousands) </Th> <Th> References </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kuwaiti Oil Fires </Td> <Td> Kuwait </Td> <Td> 000000001991 - 01 - 16 - 0000 January 16, 1991--000000001991 - 11 - 06 - 0000 November 6, 1991 </Td> <Td> 7005136000000000000 ♠ 136,000 </Td> <Td> 7006100000000000000 ♠ 1,000,000 </Td> <Td> 7007420000000000000 ♠ 42,000,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kuwaiti Oil Lakes </Td> <Td> Kuwait </Td> <Td> 000000001991 - 01 - 01 - 0000 January 1991--000000001991 - 11 - 01 - 0000 November 1991 </Td> <Td> 7003340900000000000 ♠ 3,409--6,818 </Td> <Td> 7004250000000000000 ♠ 25,000--50,000 </Td> <Td> 7006105000000000000 ♠ 1,050,000--2,100,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lakeview Gusher </Td> <Td> United States, Kern County, California </Td> <Td> 000000001910 - 03 - 14 - 0000 March 14, 1910--000000001911 - 09 - 01 - 0000 September 1911 </Td> <Td> 7003120000000000000 ♠ 1,200 </Td> <Td> 7003900000000000000 ♠ 9,000 </Td> <Td> 7005378000000000000 ♠ 378,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gulf War oil spill </Td> <Td> Kuwait, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf </Td> <Td> 000000001991 - 01 - 19 - 0000 January 19, 1991--000000001991 - 01 - 28 - 0000 January 28, 1991 </Td> <Td> 7002818000000000000 ♠ 818--1,091 </Td> <Td> 7003600000000000000 ♠ 6,000--8,000 </Td> <Td> 7005252000000000000 ♠ 252,000--336,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Deepwater Horizon </Td> <Td> United States, Gulf of Mexico </Td> <Td> 000000002010 - 04 - 20 - 0000 April 20, 2010--000000002010 - 07 - 15 - 0000 July 15, 2010 </Td> <Td> 7002560000000000000 ♠ 560--585 </Td> <Td> 7003410000000000000 ♠ 4,100--4,900 </Td> <Td> 7005172000000000000 ♠ 172,000--180,800 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ixtoc I </Td> <Td> Mexico, Gulf of Mexico </Td> <Td> 000000001979 - 06 - 03 - 0000 June 3, 1979--000000001980 - 03 - 23 - 0000 March 23, 1980 </Td> <Td> 7002454000000000000 ♠ 454--480 </Td> <Td> 7003332900000000000 ♠ 3,329--3,520 </Td> <Td> 7005139818000000000 ♠ 139,818--147,840 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Atlantic Empress / Aegean Captain </Td> <Td> Trinidad and Tobago </Td> <Td> 000000001979 - 07 - 19 - 0000 July 19, 1979 </Td> <Td> 7002287000000000000 ♠ 287 </Td> <Td> 7003210500000000000 ♠ 2,105 </Td> <Td> 7004883960000000000 ♠ 88,396 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Fergana Valley </Td> <Td> Uzbekistan </Td> <Td> 000000001992 - 03 - 02 - 0000 March 2, 1992 </Td> <Td> 7002285000000000000 ♠ 285 </Td> <Td> 7003209000000000000 ♠ 2,090 </Td> <Td> 7004877800000000000 ♠ 87,780 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nowruz Field Platform </Td> <Td> Iran, Persian Gulf </Td> <Td> 000000001983 - 02 - 04 - 0000 February 4, 1983 </Td> <Td> 7002260000000000000 ♠ 260 </Td> <Td> 7003190700000000000 ♠ 1,907 </Td> <Td> 7004800800000000000 ♠ 80,080 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> ABT Summer </Td> <Td> Angola, 700 nmi (1,300 km; 810 mi) offshore </Td> <Td> 000000001991 - 05 - 28 - 0000 May 28, 1991 </Td> <Td> 7002260000000000000 ♠ 260 </Td> <Td> 7003190700000000000 ♠ 1,907 </Td> <Td> 7004800800000000000 ♠ 80,080 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Castillo de Bellver </Td> <Td> South Africa, Saldanha Bay </Td> <Td> 000000001983 - 08 - 06 - 0000 August 6, 1983 </Td> <Td> 7002252000000000000 ♠ 252 </Td> <Td> 7003184800000000000 ♠ 1,848 </Td> <Td> 7004776160000000000 ♠ 77,616 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Amoco Cadiz </Td> <Td> France, Brittany </Td> <Td> 000000001978 - 03 - 16 - 0000 March 16, 1978 </Td> <Td> 7002223000000000000 ♠ 223 </Td> <Td> 7003163500000000000 ♠ 1,635 </Td> <Td> 7004686840000000000 ♠ 68,684 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Spill / Tanker </Th> <Th> Location </Th> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Tonnes of crude oil (thousands) </Th> <Th> Barrels (thousands) </Th> <Th> US Gallons (thousands) </Th> <Th> References </Th> </Tr>

What is the worst oil spill in history