Managing Oil Spills In Greek Waters

The main sources of oil pollution are emanating from ship operations (including accidents, bilge and fuel oil, dry docking), fixed installations (coastal refineries, offshore production, marine terminals) and other sources (municipal wastes, industrial waste, urban and river run-off, atmospheric fall-out and ocean dumping). The consequences of an oil spill cannot be ignored. Firstly, the components of crude oil and refined products are toxic to a wide range of marine plants and animals. Secondly the oil spill may have effects on human health and thirdly there is a commercial damage from an oil pollution incident, i.e. in fisheries management and in tourism activities. Although the principle "prevention is better than cure" has been adopted by the international community, it is unlikely that practice follows. In most cases, an accident occurs and then measures are adopted to prevent further catastrophic events. In this paper we present an analysis of oil spill incidents in the Greek seas and pinpoint how those should be managed and remedied.