The London-based non-profit claims spill volumes now account for a “negligible” proportion of oil finding its way into the marine environment.
“While no accident involving an oil spill should be ignored as both government and industry strive towards ‘zero tolerance’, to put the figures into perspective, the volume of oil spilt during 2012 represents less than one millionth of the quantity of oil transported by sea,” it said.
While ITOPF found that no spills in excess of 700 tonnes were recorded in 2012 it says seven “medium sized” incidents of seven to 700 tonnes were logged over the last 12 months, which represents an increase from figures reported in 2010 and 2011.
It found allisions, collisions and groundings were the underlying cause of 59% of the large spills reported but claims activities linked to loading and discharging operations accounted for a greater portion of the total number of reported incidents included in the study.
In a statement that followed the release of its annual analysis, ITOPF said it believes the findings bode well for tanker operators and governments that are committed to improving safety and environmental performance at sea.
The organisation’s sources included trade publications, owners, operators and insurers and notes that figures should be viewed “with an element of caution” as it cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the findings.
“From time to time data may be received after publication, in which case, adjustment to previous entries is made,” a disclaimer adds. “Consequently, the figures in the following tables, and any averages derived from them, should be viewed with an element of caution.”
The ITOPF was formed in 1968. Today, its membership is comprised of approximately 6,300 owners and bareboat charterers of roughly 10,900 tankers, combined carriers and barges with a total gross tonnage of 340 million, according to Tuesday’s report.
Late last year, Bjorn Moller’s term as chairman of the board was extended until September of 2013. When the crown is passed to Maersk Tankers chief executive Hanne Sorensen in September, it will mark the end of a dynasty that began in 2006.
You can read the ITOPF report in full by clicking on the link located under the Related Media section to the right of this article
