Accidental spills from tankers and other vessels

The purpose of the present chapter is to give an overview of seagoing oil tankers, types of accidents, and oil spillage from tanker accidents. Ship design features adopted for greater safety and environmental protection are described as well as operational measures for improving the safety of shipping of all types. Finally the chapter touches briefly on possible accidental oil pollution from ships other than oil tankers as all powered vessels using oil as fuel are potentially a source of oil discharge to the seas.