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Nowruz Oil Field Spill

Nowruz Oil Field Spill
Persian Gulf, Iran Location
02/10/83
Incident Summary
In 1983, the Nowruz Oil Field in the Persian Gulf, Iran, was involved in a number of oil pollution incidents. On February 10, 1983, a tanker collided with a platform. The platform developed a 45-degree tilt and had to be shut down. Wave action and corrosion apparently caused the riser to collapse into the wellhead causing a spill of approximately 1,500 barrels per day. The well was not capped because the field was in the middle of the Iran/Iraq war zone. This platform was attacked by Iraqi planes in March and the resulting slick caught fire. This well was capped by the Iranians on September 18, 1983. Eleven people were killed during the operation. In March 1983, a nearby platform was attacked with rockets by Iraqi helicopters. The platform burned and spilled oil at an initial rate of approximately 5,000 barrels per day. The rate slowed to about 1,500 barrels per day in the two years before the well was capped. In May 1985, the fire was extinguished and the well was plugged with the assistance of divers. Nine men died during these operations. Approximately 733,000 barrels of oil spilled into the sea as a result of this incident. It is estimated that the rate of oil leaking into the Persian Gulf in mid-May of 1983 was between 4,000 and 10,000 barrels per day due to more war-related activity or the collapse of burning platforms.

As a result of this incident, a cooperative program for large-scale trajectory modeling was developed between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Kuwait's Environment Protection Council under the Ministry of Public Health.

Behavior of Oil
The Nowruz field crude oil had an API gravity of 22. Detailed information of the movement of the oil was not readily available since much of the slick was in a restricted war zone. An estimated 2/3 of the oil sank to the bottom as tarballs after sand carried by high winds mixed with the oil. Countermeasures and Mitigation
Norpol, a Norwegian company, used booms and skimmers in responding to the spill. Other Special Interest Issues
References
  • Galt, et al. 1983. Trajectory Analysis for the Nowruz Oil Spill with Specific Applications to Kuwait. MASS, HAZMAT, NOAA.
  • IFP. PLATFORM DATABANK On Accidents to Drilling Vessels or Offshore Platforms (1955-1989).
  • Oil Spill Intelligence Report, 2/21/91.
  • Oil Spill Intelligence Report. Oil Spills, International Summary & Review, 1982-1985.

    This content has been excerped from:

    Oil Spill Case Histories 1967-1991: Summaries of Significant U.S. and International Spills
    From NOAA / Hazardous Materials Response and Assessment Division
    Seattle, Washington
    September 1992



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