Oil pollution in Spanish waters

Abstract

Spain has one of the largest coastlines in Europe (ca. 8,000 km) which constitutes an important source of economic revenue (e.g. fisheries, tourism, etc.). This chapter firstly discusses the ecological and socio-economic importance of Spanish waters and shores, to show the potential impact that an oil spill may have on the provision of goods and services from these areas. This is followed by an overview of the major sources of oil pollution, from maritime accidents and operational discharges, and the description of the Spanish oil pollution prevention, preparedness and response system, which has been supported by an ambitious investment plan after the Prestige incident. Finally, the importance of an efficient coordination between the surveillance and source identification services of oil spills is illustrated with several case studies.