Oil Spill Aftermath in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

At low tide, oil marks are clearly visible on the mangroves in the Sundarbans forest in Harbaria area, around 10 km away from the UNESCO World Heritage site where on 9th December an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, carrying 350,000 litres of furnace oil was sunk in the river after it had been hit by a cargo vessel. The oil spill, which covered 20 km of waterways, is very threatening to the region's flora and fauna.

Unique identifier: GP0STORUM

Type: Image

Shoot date: 26/12/2014

Locations: Asia, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Sundarbans

Credit line: © Syed Zakir Hossain / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

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Oil Spill in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

On 9 December 2014 an oil spill occurred at the Sela river of Sundarbans, Bangladesh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, when an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, carrying 350,000 litres of furnace oil was sunk in the river after it had been hit by a cargo vessel. By December 17, the oil spread over 350 km2 area. The slick spread to a second river and a network of canals in the Sundarbans and blackened the shoreline. The event was very threatening to trees, plankton, vast populations of small fishes and dolphins. The event occurred at a protected Sundarbans mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins.

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Oil Spill in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

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