Jebel al-Zayt oil spill
Encyclopedia
The Jebel al-Zayt oil spill was an oil spill
in the Red Sea
, considered to be the largest offshore
spill in Egypt
ian history. The spill polluted around 100 miles (160.9 km) of coastline including tourist beach resorts. Oil company officials in the port city of Suez
said the spill was caused by a leak from an offshore oil platform in Jebel al-Zayt north of Hurghada
owned by the Egyptian government's state-owned oil company, Geisum Oil.
The platform began leaking on about 16 June 2010, and the leak was sealed by June 23.
Oil spill
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 mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, considered to be the largest offshore
Offshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
spill in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian history. The spill polluted around 100 miles (160.9 km) of coastline including tourist beach resorts. Oil company officials in the port city of Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
said the spill was caused by a leak from an offshore oil platform in Jebel al-Zayt north of Hurghada
Hurghada
Hurghada is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is a main tourist center and second largest city in Egypt located on the Red Sea coast.- Overview :...
owned by the Egyptian government's state-owned oil company, Geisum Oil.
The platform began leaking on about 16 June 2010, and the leak was sealed by June 23.