Oil spill in Khor al-Zubair : a case study

Abstract EN

In 22 August 2006 the tanker BFC2 carried 4750 tons of Basrah Crude oil was crash in khor Al-Zubair area, this lead to make a crack with a length of 1.5 meter in bump room of the tanker and oil spilled about (10-15 tones) from the cargo pump tanker immediately making a large spill in this important area, To study oil spill in this area water, sediment and were taken.

Also Composite samples of fish species (beyah) Liza subviridis and (Sheka) Thryssa mystax and two species of shrimps Metapenaeus affinis and Exopalaemon styliferus with plant samples salicornia herbacea were collected at different locations during the study period, High concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (478.

2 μg / l and 38.

5 μg / g) were recorded in water and sediments.

Also, highest level of total petroleum hydrocarbons were showed in fish (59.

46 μg / g in Thryssa mystax), shrimps (121.

9 μg / g in Metapenaeus affinis) and plants (360.

7 μg / g in Salicornia herbacea).

The present data were higher than the early data in the same area, and higher in the range of concentrations in water in other site of the world.