Petroleum_Engineering

Castillo de Bellver Oil Spill (Assignment) (Course Title: Drilling & Mud Technology) Prepared by Mohammad Faraz M.Mashhood-ul-haque Syed Umair Hussain Shah Submitted to: Sir Aatif Submission Date: 3rd September 2013 ------------------------------------------------- Name:  Castillo de Bellver ------------------------------------------------- Date:  06/08/1983 ------------------------------------------------- Location:  South Africa ------------------------------------------------- Accident area:  80 km off Table Bay ------------------------------------------------- Cause of spill:  Explosion ------------------------------------------------- Casualties: None ------------------------------------------------- Product transported: Light crude oil ------------------------------------------------- Quantity transported:  252,000 tones ------------------------------------------------- Type of pollutant: Light crude oil ------------------------------------------------- Quantity spilled:  78.5 million gallons ------------------------------------------------- Ship type:   Oil tanker ------------------------------------------------- Date built:  1978 ------------------------------------------------- Length:  334.02 m ------------------------------------------------- Width:  55.05 m ------------------------------------------------- Draught:  3 m ------------------------------------------------- Flag:  Spanish The Incident On August 6, 1983 a fire broke out aboard the Spanish tanker Saldhana bay near Castillo de Bellver in South Africa an oil tanker ship exploded and broke into two pieces. There was oil still inside the tanks in the ship, the oil caught on fire and spewed everywhere. The blazing tanker was abandoned and drifted offshore, until it eventually broke in half. 252,000 tones of light crude oil and caused the ship drifted and broke in two. Despite the spill having taken place in an ecologically sensitive area, prevailing winds pushed the slick offshore, resulting in little coastal pollution and negligible environmental impact. This can only be attributed to the favorable direction of the wind, which caused the slick to move offshore and into the Benguela current, thus allowing for its natural dispersion. Response The weather conditions were conducive to spill response; if this had not been the case the situation could have been disastrous for the environment. Some 230 m3 of diluted dispersant and 4 m3 of dispersant concentrate were sprayed at the edge of the slick, preventing it from coming less than 32 km from the shore. How much spilt' Approximately 78.5 gallons was spilt across the sea, 64 Kilometers from the Table Bay in South Africa. But some oil still washed up on the beach. What was the pollutant' Light crude oil was the pollutant in this job for the environment. Thankfully 100,000 tones of oil remaining in its tanks so no more of the oils spilt. The Castillo de Bellver disaster is the largest oil spill to occur in South African waters. While isolated environmental damage was noted at several points around Cape Town, the bulk of the escaped oil dissipated quickly due to offshore winds, choppy wave action and fast currents in the historically treacherous seas around the Cape of Good Hope. Affects of the Oil spilt: Also of initial concern was the 'Black Rain' of airborne oil droplets that fell during the first 24 hours of the incident on wheat growing and sheep grazing lands due east of the accident, although no long-term damage was recorded from these residues. The impact on both the rich fishing grounds and the fish stocks of the area was also considered to be negligible. Affects on Animals: Some sea birds, lobsters, seals and fishes were caught in the oil spill. The only visible damage was the oiling of some 1,500 gannets, most of which were collected from an island near the coast where they were gathering for the onset of the breeding season. A number of seals were observed surfacing in the vicinity of the dispersant spraying activities but were not thought to have suffered any adverse effects. Before After How much did it cost to clean up the damage' To clean up the damage in 2010 was 153 million dollars; most of oil was swept away by wind. Approximately 50-60,000 tones are estimated to have spilled into the sea or burned. There was still minimal cleanup required. Some dispersant spraying was done. Although some oil still remained! Although the oil initially drifted towards the coast, a wind shift subsequently took it offshore, where it entered the north-west flowing Benguela current. Some concern remains over oil still trapped in the sunken stern section. Environmental Impact Prevailing winds pushed the slick offshore, resulting in little coastal pollution. According to tests conducted on samples of sediment, plankton and water, no abnormal presence of hydrocarbons was detected. Furthermore, impacts on fishing and the environment were negligible. Helping matters was the fact that the bow section of the capsized tanker was towed into deep ocean water and scuttled using explosives.