Oil Spill Science and Technology, 2nd Edition

2.2. Vessel Spills

A common approach to determining spill probability and likelihood of spill scenarios is the use of “historical data,” that is, relying on information on what has happened in the past. The advantages of using historical data are that the data are generally relatively easy to obtain and analyze. This is particularly true for vessel-related oil spills—i.e., cargo spills from tankers, and bunker fuel spills from nontank vessels, which have been systematically tracked for decades.

The vessel spill data demonstrate what can occur based on actual experience rather than any hypothetical scenarios or contingencies. Applying this to contingency planning and risk management for future events that could possibly occur is based on several ...