A pipeline spill into the Mersey Estuary, England

Abstract

On the 19th of August 1989 at 2:30 p.m., a fracture occurred in a pipeline carrying Venezuelan crude oil from a shipping terminal at Tranmere to Be Shell (U.K.) Ltd. oil refinery at Stanlow, on the Mersey Estuary, England. 150 metric tons of oil were released into the estuary before the pipeline was sealed; tidal currents widely distributed the oil within a tidal cycle. The Mersey Estuary is heavily industrialized and urbanized but does retain extensive areas of salt marsh and intertidal mud flats which are internationally important for wild fowl and wading birds. Cleanup operations were coordinated by the two local fire brigades whose areas of responsibility included impacted shoreline. Input to the response came from government, local authorities specialist consultants, and various other interested parties. The occurrence of the spill on one of the highest spring tides of the year and under favorable weather conditions served to lessen the environmental impacts. Less than two weeks after the spill, Shell (U. K.) and Cheshire County Council set up the Mersey Oil Spill Project Advisory Group, with a membership drawn from independent scientific groups, which would monitor the environmental effects of the spill and publish its findings. The primary report of the advisory group is a detailed historical record of the spill incident, the response to it, and the coordination of that response, as well as the lessons learned by the involved parties. Further studies consider the persistence of the oil, and its effects on birds, invertebrates, vegetation, and algae. Recommendations have already led to a review of the local contingency plan and the commissioning of work to produce specific cleanup guidelines and sensitivity maps for the region. In February 1990, a court action brought by the newly formed National Rivers Authority led to Shell (U.K.) Ltd. being fined 1 million pounds due to the pollution arising from this incident.