Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)

The Deepwater Horizon spill dumped 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over 87 days, making it the largest marine oil spill in history. BP's Macondo well blowout killed 11 workers and caused $17 billion in environmental damages, contaminating over 1,100 miles of coastline. Compared to the average oil spill, this event released nearly 100 times more oil than the Exxon Valdez disaster. The spill destroyed marine habitats, killing an estimated 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals. Despite cleanup efforts, 30% of the oil remains in the Gulf ecosystem, continuing to harm fish populations and coastal economies. This event remains the benchmark for offshore drilling catastrophes.