H E L P !

Now that you know how oil spills are a hazard for marine life, are you going to help?


There are various procedures we can use in order to stop oil spills and save marine life. One way of preventing oil spills is by using double hulled ships. A double hulled ship is a ship that is used to transport oil from one place to the other. What allows the boat to protect the oil from reaching the sea is its two layers. A regular oil tanker, on the other hand, only has one. The first layer of the tanker is where the oil is kept. The second layer, however, is what prevents the oil from reaching the ocean because it surrounds the first layer. Therefore, if there was a crack on the tank, only a small amount of oil would reach the sea, saving the lives of thousands of marine animals. In order for a greater amount of oil to reach the ocean, the crack would have to perforate both layers. There is currently a law that stated that by 2015, all tankers must be a double hulled ship.

Another to help the oil from entering the water is by putting a boom around the tanker that is spilling the oil. This boom will collect the oil that entered the water.

After an oil spill occurs, there are a few ways in which the oil can be broken down. One way is by the use of airplanes. These airplanes throw chemicals into the affected area which break down the oil. However, these chemicals can still contaminate the water.

The government has created various organizations that help prevent and clean up oil spills. Some of them are the United States Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Minerals Management Service.