Dear Maritime Community,

I am pleased to publish this update to the oil spill compendium, which now contains data and graphics through calendar year 2001. I believe this compendium of marine pollution data serves the public interest and provides a valuable resource document for citizens and policy makers alike. We hope that it will assist all in understanding the who, what, where, when, how and why of pollution incidents in and around the United States. This is a living document. We will update the document as new data becomes available.

Review of the compendium data shows that:

• The volume of spills in U.S. waters has been on a steady downward trend since 1973.
• Although periodic spill disasters remind the public of our nation's vulnerability to these marine events, significantly less oil was spilled in the later years of this report than in the earlier years.
• The decline in oil spill volume, particularly in the face of growing domestic demand for imported oil, represents the combined effects of an increasingly effective campaign of prevention and preparedness initiatives to protect U.S. coastal waters from oil pollution.

The data also shows that:

• The majority of spills through the years of this report involved discharges between one and one hundred gallons.
• Tank vessels (ships/barges) are the marine platforms that account for most of the volume spilled.
• Crude oil and heavy oil in combination are the types of oil with the greatest volumes spilled.
• Most of the spills reported to the Coast Guard occur within internal waters of the U.S. out to 3.0 nautical miles offshore.
• Overall, the combined 8^th and former 2^nd Coast Guard District is where the greater majority of spills and spill volumes occur. These Districts cover the Gulf of Mexico coastal waters and internal rivers such as the Mississippi, Ohio, and Arkansas Rivers.

It is also interesting to note that the number of oil spills investigated by the U. S. Coast Guard remains relatively high, while the annual spill volumes are at the lowest point since the Clean Water Act was implemented in 1973. For the 10 years ending in 2001, the number of spills investigated by the Coast Guard has averaged just over 8,300 per year. The average number of spills was just over 9,100 during the first 10 years under the Clean Water Act. Conversely, the total volume of oil spilled in calendar year 2001, is just under 4% of the peak amount spilled in 1975, (0.855 million gallons v. 21.52 million gallons). In fact, there has not been an oil spill over one million gallons since 1990. When compared to events around the world, I believe this is a significant accomplishment. In the years since the EXXON VALDEZ grounding there have been several spills in excess of 1 million gallons, in other parts of the world. For example, on January 14, 2001 the bulk carrier AMORGOS grounded off the souther tip of Taiwan. Approximately, 2.9 million gallons of intermediate fuel oil was spilled into the ocean.(Source: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, Limited: www.ITOPF.COM)

In 2001, 96% of oil spill incidents in U.S. waters were under 100 gallons. The large number of small spills undoubtedly results from increased public awareness and willingness to report oil spills and is sending a clear message - "no oil spills are acceptable." It is just that positive attitude and cooperative spirit on the part of industry, regulators, and consumers that is necessary to prevent spills when we can, and to respond quickly and effectively when they occur.

The Coast Guard looks forward to continuing partnerships in spill prevention and response with industry, associations, other government agencies and the public. The data represented here will facilitate identification of the causes of those spills that are most damaging to our economic and ecological environments. We all recognize that oil spills and chemical releases are unacceptable. Our mutual goal is to continue to reduce the volume of these events each year through aggressive prevention, education, outreach, and preparedness initiatives.

Captain Michael B. Karr
Chief, Office of Investigations and Analysis
U.S. Coast Guard