Amazon Venture oil spill

Amazon Venture oil spill
Location	Port of Savannah, near Savannah, Georgia, United States
Coordinates	32°7′50″N 81°8′25″W / 32.13056°N 81.14028°W / 32.13056; -81.14028
Date	December 4–6, 1986
Cause
Cause	Faulty valves on the MV Amazon Venture oil tanker
Casualties	0
Operator	Calluna Maritime Corporation
Spill characteristics
Volume	500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L)

The Amazon Venture oil spill occurred at the port of Savannah on the Savannah River in the U.S. state of Georgia. The spill, which occurred from December 4 to 6, 1986, was caused by three defective valves in the piping system of the oil tanker MV Amazon Venture, which leaked approximately 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 liters; roughly 1,800 metric tons or 2,000 short tons)^{[note 1]} of fuel oil into the river.

Authorities at the port were made aware of oil in the river approximately three hours after the ship began offloading its oil, but due to difficulties in locating the source of the spill, the ship was allowed to continue offloading until it completed on December 6. That same day, chemical testing revealed that the ship had been responsible for the spill. While initial estimates categorized the accident as a minor spill involving about 2,000 US gallons (7,600 L) of oil, this value quickly rose over the following days, ultimately becoming classified as a major spill. Officials focused primarily on protecting the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, a protected area upriver from the port that included a large amount of marshland and served as a habitat for several endangered species. However, due to strong tidal currents, containment booms proved ineffective and about a third of the refuge would be contaminated by oil. Cleanup efforts would continue until being declared officially done on March 13, 1987, with roughly 150,000 US gallons (570,000 L) of oil recovered.

The spill is considered one of the worst environmental disasters in the region, with particular concern regarding the long-term effects of the contamination on the wildlife refuge. The company that operated the tanker agreed to pay $1.2 million in damages to the U.S. federal government and the states of Georgia and South Carolina, while total damage claims from the spill totaled between $7 million and $8 million.

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