leakage of petroleum onto the surface of a large body of water. Oceanic oil spills became a ma.... oil ton

Oceanic oil spills became a major environmental problem in the 1960s, chiefly as a result of intensified petroleum on the continental shelf and the use of capable of transporting more than 450,000 metric tons (500,000 tons) of oil. Thousands of minor and several major oil spills related to well discharges and tanker operations are reported each year, with the total quantity of oil released annually into the world's oceans exceeding 1,000,000 tons (907,000 metric tons). oil ton