Offshore oil platforms contribute significantly to ocean pollution, according to a recent report.

In a groundbreaking report published by the nonprofit SkyTruth, researchers have provided a comprehensive accounting of the impacts of the global offshore oil and gas industry for the first time. The study, which focuses on the pollution from offshore oil, identifies oil leaks, transportation emissions, methane flaring, and specific locations as significant sources of pollution.

According to the report, four of the top 10 most polluting facilities are Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FxOs), with the most polluting one located in Nigeria. Remarkably, Nigeria is home to five of the top 10 most polluting offshore facilities.

Researchers used data from the University of California, Santa Barbara's Marine Biotechnology Lab to model the transportation emissions from ships travelling to and from offshore oil facilities. They found that in 2023, roughly 9 million metric tons of emissions were produced from transportation, which is more than the emissions individually produced by 95 countries and roughly the same as Paraguay.

The most polluting FxO in Nigeria was observed to have oil slicks in 18% of all satellite images, suggesting it may release oil every five days on average. This, along with other findings, raises concerns about the environmental impact of these facilities.

Offshore oil and gas facilities burned roughly 23 billion cubic meters (812 billion cubic feet) of natural gas in 2023, mostly unwanted methane released during oil and gas production. Methane flaring created approximately 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide; the largest sources were linked to infrastructure in Iran, Nigeria, and Mexico.

Christian Thomas, a geospatial engineer at SkyTruth, stated that most of their figures are likely underestimates. He hopes this report will provide governments and communities with valuable information to better focus their enforcement efforts and protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

The report also highlights the An oil import terminal in California, US, as the facility with the most transportation emissions, with 516 vessel visits in 2023.

Thomas emphasized that this report marks a significant step towards understanding the environmental footprint of the offshore oil and gas industry. He believes it will serve as a valuable tool for governments, communities, and environmental organisations in their efforts to protect our planet.

The story was published with permission from Mongabay.com.

Offshore oil platforms contribute significantly to ocean pollution, according to a recent report.