The Bureau investigates Spills ≥ 50 Barrels incidents, petroleum or other toxic substance spills of 50 bbl (2,100 gal) or more, describing the circumstances surrounding the incident with the ultimate goal of prevention through safety alerts in addition to site specific corrections. Most incidents involve everyday operations and duties, but an unsafe act or condition may cause a spill to occur. By providing brief descriptions of each pollution incident, the Bureau is trying to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Here, we summarized each of the Spills ≥ 50 Barrels incidents for years 1964 to present. This report is based on information contained in the MMS Technical Information Management System (TIMS) for the years 1995 to present. Information on incidents prior to 1995 is based on MMS information systems that predate TIMS. In general, investigations are completed within a few months, but in the event that an accident investigation panel is convened, the report and details may not be finalized for more than a year.

Click on the yearly breakdown of OCS Spills ≥ 50 Barrels incidents below to see general details, including dates, locations, causes, and estimated spill sizes for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Region and Pacific (PAC) Region. When applicable, information on OCS Reports and NRC Reports is also provided.

• Spill Summaries OCS Spills ≥ 50 Barrels CY 1964 – 2013
• Spill Summaries OCS Spills 10 to 49 Barrels CY 1970 – 2013
• All Petroleum Spills ≥ 1 Barrel from OCS Oil & Gas Activities by Size Category and Year, 1964 to 2013

Cross tabulation of spill counts and barrels spilled for OCS petroleum spills of one barrel (42 gallons) and greater by spill size category, year and spill source (Platform, Pipeline, and Vessel). Petroleum spills include crude oil, condensate (a liquid product of natural gas), and refined products such as diesel, hydraulic oil, lube oil, mineral oil, etc. Synthetic oil products are excluded.

OCS Spill Incidents 1964-2006