Gulf War Oil Spill
The oil spill with the most released oil in terms of sheer volume, occurred in the Persian Gulf off of Kuwait in January of 1991. The Gulf War is often considered the greatest oil disaster purely due to the fact that the rupture was accidental. This spill, however, was done intentionally as an act of war. Iraqi forces intentionally opened oil valves from offshore terminals in order to prevent American invasion by water. It is estimated that anywhere from 380 to 520 million gallons of oil were spilled into the Gulf in this way, creating an oil slick that was 4 inches thick, and 4,00 square miles in size. The sheer volume of oil released into the Persian Gulf devastated all living things in its path, and is hypothesized to have had a lasting effect on the waterways in the area to this day.
Oil Spill Disasters – WorldAtlas
Oil Spill Disasters – WorldAtlas
Ericson Report 