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Arabian Gulf Spills

Persian Gulf, Kuwait | 1991-Jan-19

Initial Notification: During the 1991 Gulf War, tankers and oil terminals in Kuwait were destroyed, causing the release of an estimated 6-8 million barrels (252 - 336 million gallons) of oil into the waters of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. Many oil wells in Kuwait were destroyed and set on fire, resulting in the release of much greater amounts of oil and combustion products to land, air, and water in Kuwait. [Edited 05/18/2010 to clarify the amounts of oil released to water vs land and air in this incident.]

Incident Details
Spill, potential spill, or other:Oil Spill
Cause of incident:Other / Unknown
Products of concern:Kuwait crude oil
Amount spilled (approximate): 6,000,000 - 8,000,000 barrels
Latitude (approximate): 29° 30.00′ North
Longitude (approximate): 48° 0.00′ East
On-Water Recovery: No information
Shoreline Cleanup: No information
Dispersants: Not applicable
In-Situ Burn: Not applicable
Bioremediation: Evaluated and applied