| ITOPF has published (March 2011) its Oil Tanker Spill Statistics for 2010. This shows a steady low level of recorded spills, following-on from more recent years.
For 2010, four large spills were recorded. Although an increase on the figures for 2008 and 2009, this represents a minor deviation from the average of 3.3 spills per year in the previous decade (2000-2009) as a whole. Four medium spills were also recorded in 2010, representing the lowest annual figure recorded for this category. The total of all spills over 7 tonnes for 2010 shows no change against 2009 and is a significant reduction compared to the average for the previous decade.
Go to the Statistics for the numbers and quantities and download the ITOPF Statistics Package.
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Seafarers are being held hostage by armed gangs of Somali pirates, in appalling conditions, subject to physical and psychological abuse, for many months. Their ships have been hijacked at sea and they are being held for ransoms of millions of dollars. The human cost to seafarers and their families is enormous. 