Marine Life
Whaling
Oil
OIL SPILLS
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Introduction Causes Effects on the Environment Major Events Solutions
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Introduction 
Oiling in South Africa became a big problem in the 1930's when people started to use oil instead of
coal as the major fuel. Oil spills have many effects all of them negative. The biggest threat
posed by continous oil spills is death to many coastal birds and other marine life. One of the
major concerns when oil spills occur are the colonies of African Penguins that live around the Cape
Coast and nowhere else. There have been about 5 really serious spillages around the Cape Coast
since 1930.
Causes
Oil spills occur when ships strike an object and sink or when they founder or any trouble at sea
occurs that punctures the hull. Most ships take the short route from Europe to the east through
the Suez Canal, but sometimes ships are forced to make the long trip around Africa and subsequently
around the "Cape Of Storms". Many of the ships needing to make this trip are in such poor condition
that they cannot take the battering the Cape weather gives them. The treasure disaster was just such
an example the ship was denied a harbour berth because it was in such poor condition and it was being towed
out to sink without emptying the oil in it first. When it's tow rope brike and the ship drifted
onto some rocks.
Effects on the Environment
An oil spill has devastating effects on the environment. It kills thousands of penguins and other
marine life, as well as millions of coastal birds.
UCT Demography Unit
Many breeding pairs are broken up when they are relocated by man to prevent them becoming oiled as well. Beaches become covered in oil so much that one almost cannot recognise the sea as water at all, the sand and rocks are covered in a thick layer of oil. This can also damage the tourism industry to certain places especially if the damage is to bird and wildlife. Every time an oil spill occurs around South Africa the Government has to fund it's clean u,. thereby obviously decreasing Government funds normally used for other purposes
Major Events
Some of the more notable events were:| Date | Description of Spill | Amount of Oil | Estimated number of penguins oiled |
| November 1948 | Tanker Esso Wheeling sank about 30 miles from Dyer Island | Unknown | Thousands |
| August 1952 | An oil slick came from an unknown source at sea; penguins came ashore mainly at Robben Island | Unknown | 1200 |
| April 1968 | Tanker Esso Essen ran aground near Cape Point | Unknown | 1700 |
| November 1970 | Kazimah ran aground on Robben Island | 100 tons of fuel oil | 560 |
| Febraury 1971 | The Walfra ran aground near Cape Agulhas | 6000 - 10000 tons of crude oil | 1216 |
| March 1972 | Penguins were landing on beaches on Dassen Island totally covered in oil of an unknown source | Unknown | 4000 |
| August 1972 | Midsea Collision between the Oswego Guardian and the Texanita off Ystervlak Point | About 10000 tons of crude and fuel oil | 500 |
| July 1974 | Oriental Texanita ran aground at Struisbaai | 200 tons of fuel oil | Thousands |
| August 1985 | Kapodidtrias ran aground at Cape Recife, Port Elizabeth | Unknown | 1180 |
| June 1994 | Iron ore tanker Apollo Sea sank near Dassen Island on the Cape Coast | 2400 tons of fuel oil | About 10000 |
| July - September 1995 | Unknown source of oil off Danger Point | Unknown | 1332 |
| May 1998 | Oil supply pipline broke, some oil was leaked into Table Bay | 500 tons of fuel oil in the harbour and almost five tons in the Bay | 563 |
| June 2000 | Iron ore tanker Treasure sank between Dassen and Robben Islands off the Cape Coast | 1500 tons of fuel oil | 1900 oiled, 19500 were relocated to port Elizabeth to prevent oiling |
Solutions
There are a few solutions to this problem, the most obvious but most difficult way is to phase
out oil and fossil fuels completely, and use hydrogen and fuel cell power only. The other solution
is to strengthen the hulls of ship, so that it is actually impossible to sink them, which can be
done but not without a very costly process.