Oil Spill Crisis Issues - Essay Example

Oil spills have conventionally been a common disaster that emerges as a result of the irresponsible and careless practices of oil companies across the globe. This paper discusses one such disaster shown by the Royal Dutch Shell Company.

A few months ago, a substantial oil spill was caused by the ruptured North Sea pipeline of the Royal Dutch Shell. The disaster occurred in August 2011. According to the estimates made by the Department of Energy and climate change, the company spilt several hundred tons of oil into the North Sea via the Gannet Alpha platform. The North Sea has not seen a spill of this large a volume since the year 2000 when a company spilt about 500 tons. According to the Shell Company, the volume of oil spilled was about 216 tones. The oil was leaked at a distance of approximately 180 km from Aberdeen’s Scottish port. This oil slick covered an area of more than 37 sq km.

The recent oil spill has done a lot to tarnish the image of the Royal Dutch Shell in the eyes of the public. The Royal Dutch Shell has conventionally remained out of the focus of campaigners. The company has traditionally maintained a desecrated reputation whether the campaigners were concerned with environmental health and safety, human rights violations or climatic change. “In September 1993, the TGWU (transport and general workers union) launched a nationwide boycott of Shell petrol stations due to union derecognition at their Shell haven refinery in Essex” (Corporate Watch, n.d.). The recent oil spill furthered people’s hatred for the company, and this can have serious implications for the profitability of Shell’s business.

The crisis was very damaging as the oil spill exposes marine life to numerous health hazards. Oil spill contaminate the water and reduce the content of oxygen in it which is vital to the existence and survival of the marine life. In addition to that, the contaminated water can not be used for any kind of purpose. Discussing the hazardous consequences of this massive oil spill, RSPB Scotland’s director, Stuart Housden said, “Thousands of young razorbills, puffins and guillemots are flightless and dispersing widely in the North Sea during late summer, so they could be at serious risk if contaminated by this spill” (Housden cited in Crisis Boom, 2011a). Similar oil spills have caused irrecoverable loss to birds and marine life in the past. In the past, about 1000 crude oil barrels were leaked as a result of the rupture of pipeline of the ExxonMobil oil into the Yellowstone River. The picture given below speaks 1000 words about the same and portrays the deleterious effects of oil spills on the animals and birds that have marine habitats. This bird complains about the effects of the BP oil spill on its health and life.

The company took urgent measures to stop the oil spill. “Work continues to stop the oil remaining in the flowline from leaking. We estimate the current rate of leakage is less than five barrels a day” (Crisis Boom, 2011a). In an attempt to take precautionary measures and avoid similar situations from arising in the future, Shell Company’s spokesman said that the company is managing a leak identified in the flow line which goes into the platform of the Gannet Alpha. To identify the sub-sea leak after a light sheen was seen, the company made use of a vehicle that operated with a remote. The spokesman further said that the company has considerably stemmed the leak and its efforts are directed at isolating it further. To reduce the risk, the company has shut the sub-sea well and has also depressurized the flow line (The Guardian, 2011). These were the emasures the Royal Dutch Shell Company primarily took to improve its image in the public eye as well as to save the environment from any damage in the future. The company openly narrated its efforts. This overt expression was meant for the public in general and the critics in particular so that they may realize that the company understands and is regretful of the damage it caused to the environment through the massive oil spill.

Proposing an objective solution to the problem of oil spills, the Pew’s U.S. Arctic Program’s director, Marilyn Heiman said, “If we are to avoid irreparable harm to an ecosystem found nowhere else in U.S. waters, we need to develop a comprehensive research and monitoring plan and set aside significant areas for protection” (Heiman cited in Taylor, 2011).