Cause of global oil tanker spills 1970-2024

Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 4, 2025

The most common reason for oil tanker spills is unintentional grounding of the vessels. 31 percent of all oil spills that occurred between 1970 and 2024 were the result of the respective vessel running aground. Fire and explosions aboard the tankers were responsible for 11 percent of all oil spills.

Distribution of reasons for large oil tanker spills worldwide between 1970 and 2024

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Release date

January 2025

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

1970 to 2024

Special properties

Oil spills where more than 700 metric tons of oil was spilled

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