Oil and Water

ATLANTIC EMPRESS (1979) Litres of oil spilled: 391 million Estimated damage: $150 million (all currency in U.S. dollars)

The oil carrier crashed into a supertanker near Trinidad and Tobago, releasing 203 million litres of crude oil into the Caribbean waters. A month later, near Barbados, the Empress bled another 188 million litres while being towed to safety. AMOCO CADIZ (1979) Litres of oil spilled: 254 million Estimated damage: $284 million The Amoco Cadiz hit rocks near the coast of Brittany and eventually split in two; leaking oil that destroyed the region's prized oyster beds. The damage costs included $85.2 million awarded in 1988 to the 90 Breton communities affected by the spill. TORREY CANYON (1967) Litres of oil spilled: 150 million Estimated damage: $5.48 million*

Trouble struck when the ship hit England's Seven Stones Reef. To break up the ensuing slick (measuring 56 km in length and 32 km across), the RAF launched a three-day air raid, dropping 160 bombs, 50,000 litres of kerosene, 14,000 litres of napalm and 16 rockets. BRAER (1993) Litres of oil spilled: 93 million Estimated damage: $75 million

The Braer crashed into the rocks around the Shetland Islands. Most of the spilled crude oil dispersed in the stormy sea, but airborne oil particles coated the Islands' sheep. They survived, though four otters were killed, two of them run over by a news camera crew. EXXON VALDEZ (1989) Litres of oil spilled: 42 million Estimated damage: $8 billion Joseph Hazelwood (right) captained his crew right into an Alaskan reef, dumping oil in the waters of Prince William Sound. Exxon has already paid $3 billion in cleanup costs and fines, but it is appealing an additional $5-billion charge in punitive damages. ERIKA (1999) Litres of oil spilled: 16.6 million Estimated damage: $860 million The Erika spewed thick oil on France's unspoiled northwestern beaches. Half of the total cost of damages was awarded to the tourism sector. French oil group TotalFina, which chartered the tanker, had its share price battered on the stock exchange in the weeks following the accident. JESSICA (2001) Litres of oil spilled: 682,000 Estimated damage: $2 million*

A navigational error caused this spill near San Cristobal in the Galápagos Islands, threatening colonies of sea lions, marine iguanas and sea urchins. The $2-million price tag is expected to quadruple before the cleanup effort is over.