Tankers, barges and fuel trucks: Impact on the biosphere

Spills down 90% since the 1970s, but each one still devastates

What this tab covers Effects on human, animal, plant, fungal and microbial life and on whole ecosystems: in the short term (construction and early years), medium term (operating life) and long term (decommissioning and legacy).

Big tanker spills have fallen by more than 90% since the 1970s, but each one can still devastate a coastline. Day to day, ships emit CO2 and air pollution, make underwater noise and carry organisms in ballast water. In 2026, war and an ageing shadow fleet raised the risk of spills and harm to crews.

Tanker spills over 7 tonnes down over 90% since the 1970s; 7 a year on average in the 2020s¹⁰¹¹ Oil lost from tankers by decade 1,134,000 t in the 1990s; 164,000 t in the 2010s; 42,000 t in 2020-2025¹⁰ Tanker spills in 2025 6 (3 over 700 t), about 4,000 t lost¹¹ Spills over 1,000 gallons per million ton-miles, US (2001-2019) barge 2.3, rail 6.6, truck 5.5²¹ Main causes of tanker spills, 1970-2025 collisions, allisions and groundings¹⁰

Effects over time

Life affected	Short term	Medium term	Long term
Humans¹⁴²²	Seafarers exposed to attacks in the Gulf and Red Sea in 2026	Fuel convoys in war zones (one casualty per 24 convoys in Afghanistan, fiscal 2007, per the US Army); rail derailments with fires	Health effects from spills on coastal communities and clean-up workers
Animals¹⁰	Little evidence of effect from shipbuilding itself	Seabirds, marine mammals and fish oiled in spills; underwater noise and ship strikes	Long-lived oil residues in sediments after large spills
Plants¹⁰	Little evidence of effect	Mangroves, salt marsh and seagrass smothered when oil comes ashore	Slow recovery of oiled marshes
Fungi and soil life²¹	Little evidence of effect	Soil contamination at rail and road tanker crash sites	Little evidence of effect
Ecosystems¹⁰	Little evidence of effect	Spill risk concentrated at chokepoints and busy coasts; invasive species spread in ballast water	Ship CO2 adds to climate change

How the effects are reduced

Double hulls, traffic separation at chokepoints, inert gas, crew training and port state inspections drove most of the fall in spills, and compensation funds pay for clean-up. On land, DOT-117 tank cars, speed limits for crude trains and compartmented road tankers reduce releases. The biggest gaps now are the shadow fleet, whose old ships often lack proper insurance and inspection, and war damage. Slower sailing and alternative fuels cut CO2 per tonne-mile.

Sources

Oil Tanker Spill Statistics 2025 ITOPF, 2026
ITOPF publishes 2025 oil tanker spill statistics ITOPF, 2026
VLCC transits climb at Hormuz, steady at Bab al-Mandab for second day S&P Global Energy, 2026
A modal comparison of domestic freight transportation effects on the general public, 2001-2019 (TTI study, press release) National Waterways Foundation (industry-commissioned), 2022
Saving energy saves lives, says new Army exec (US Army statement citing a 2009 Army study) US Army, 2010