Satellite data reveal massive scale of routine oil pollution in oceans. See the map

Filed 33m ago · Via Mongabay · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

At Rest

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933, artist · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

A nonprofit called Skytruth used satellite imagery, machine learning, and vessel tracking to measure oil slicks across the world's oceans between 2023 and 2025, finding nearly 1.6 million square kilometers coated each year, an area slightly larger than Mongolia.

Most of it, 81 percent, comes from vessels flushing bilge waste and tank residue overboard rather than paying to dock and dispose of it properly; offshore oil platforms account for the remaining 18 percent. Indonesian waters, which share the busy Strait of Malacca with Malaysia, recorded the most verified slicks of any nation.

Much of this dumping is illegal under the 1973 MARPOL treaty, which caps legal discharge at 15 parts oil per million parts water. Skytruth could trace ownership for only 9 of the 20 vessels flagged as repeat offenders, and the two companies identified did not respond to requests for comment.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

For decades the ocean was just too big to watch, so a captain could rinse out a filthy tank in the middle of nowhere and nobody the wiser. Now a satellite is up there keeping score like a neighbor with a good pair of binoculars and nothing else to do all day. The companies that got named didn't even bother answering the phone, which tells you about what you'd expect.

Source: Read the original at Mongabay → Scored: At Rest · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

Read it scored.

Every story, every clown, every kazoo — in your pocket. Music plays automatically. Regret is optional.

GET IT ON iOS GET IT ON ANDROID

OR FOLLOW THE DESK ON BLUESKY →