June 3, 1979 - The exploratory oil well Ixtoc 1 in the Gulf of Mexico blows out, spilling an estimated 140 million gallons of crude oil into the open sea.

March 24, 1989 - Exxon Valdez runs aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 10.92 million gallons of crude oil.

Jan. 25, 1991 - Iraq deliberately releases an estimated 460 million gallons of crude into the Persian Gulf during the Persian Gulf War

Dec. 3, 1992 - The Greek tanker Aegean Sea loses 21.5 million gallons of crude oil when it runs aground off northwestern Spain.

Jan. 5, 1993 - The Brear grounds off the Shetland Islands releasing 26 million gallons of oil.

Feb. 15, 1996 - The Sea Empress grounds off Wales spilling 18 million gallons of oil.

Dec. 12, 1999 - The tanker Erika breaks apart and sinks off Britanny on the French Atlantic coast spilling 3 million gallons of oil.

March 20, 2001 - The world's biggest floating oil rig sinks into the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil and its 312,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 78,000 gallons of crude oil were expected to leak out