An
oil spill is the release of a
liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually applied to
marine oil spills, where oil is released into the
ocean or
coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land. Oil spills may be due to releases of
crude oil from
tankers,
offshore platforms,
drilling rigs and
wells, as well as spills of
refined petroleum products (such as
gasoline,
diesel) and their by-products, heavier fuels used by large ships such as
bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or
waste oil.