Individual casualties have a large impact on annual spill statistics.



The number of larger tanker pollution incidents edged up last year although the change appears to be more a statistical blip than anything more significant.

There were four incidents involving spills of over 700 tonnes compared to a single casualty in each of the previous two years. The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) described the increase as a “minor deviation” from the record.

Two