Penguins are vulnerable to exposure to oil spills due to their site fidelity, aquatic lifestyle and near-surface foraging habits. Across their range, penguins have been impacted by chronic and acute

oil pollution An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...

at sea. The following list includes examples of events where impacts to penguins were documented. It is not exhaustive. {, class="wikitable" , + !Year !Country !Location !Origin !Species !Notes !References , - , 1925 , Australia ,

Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is compl ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Unknown ,

Little Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

, "A number" of oiled penguins ashore and some dead. , , - , 1934 ,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Kapiti Island Kapiti Island () is an island about off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of . Its name has been used s ...

, Manuwatu beaches , Unknown , Little , “Many” penguins killed and oiled. , , - , 1936 ,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, Unknown , African , One bird oiled. , , - , 1940 , New Zealand ,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, Unknown , Little , Hundreds of penguins oiled and killed. , , - , 1945 , Australia , Sydney, New South Wales , Unknown , Little , Single penguin captured and treated. , , - , 1946 , Australia , Port Phillip Bay, Victoria , Unknown , Little , “Many” penguins killed and oiled. , , - , 1948 , South Africa , Dyer Island , ''Esso Wheeling'' oil spill , African , One third of penguin population, “thousands” oiled and killed. , , - , 1952 , South Africa ,

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

, Table Bay , Unknown , African , Over 1200 oiled penguins came ashore. , , - , 1953 , South Africa ,

Table Bay Table Bay (Afrikaans: ''Tafelbaai'') is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town (founded 1652 by Van Riebeeck) and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named b ...

, ''Sliedrecht'' oil spill , African , Penguins oiled and killed. , , - , 1954 , Australia , Port Phillip Bay, Victoria , Unknown , Little , 36 penguins oiled. , , - , 1954 , Australia , Port Phillip Bay, Victoria , Unknown , Little , “large numbers” of dead and oiled birds ashore , , - , 1968 , South Africa ,

Cape Point Cape Point ( af, Kaappunt) is a promontory at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in South Af ...

, Western Cape , ''Esso Essen'' oil spill , African , Over 1700 penguins impacted by oil. , , - , 1971 , Australia , Cowes, Victoria , Unknown , Little , 43 oiled, dying penguins found. , , - , 1971 , Australia , South-eastern

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, Unknown , Little , "Hundreds" oiled coming ashore. , , - , 1971 , South Africa , Cape Aghulas & Dyer Island , SS ''Wafra'' oil spill , African , Over 1216 penguins oiled. , , - , 1972 , South Africa , Dassen Island , Unknown , African , 4000 penguins impacted. , , - , 1972 , South Africa , Ystervark Point , ''Oswego Guardian-Texanita'' collision , African , 500 penguins impacted. , , - , 1973 ,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Guamblin Island __FORCETOC__ Guamblin Island, also known as Socorro Island, Nuestra Señora del Socorro, or Huamblin, is a Chilean island located in the Pacific Ocean. The island is designated as a National Park and is recognized as an Important Bird Area due t ...

, ''Napier'' oil spill , Magellanic , Impacts unknown. Penguins in vicinity. , , - , 1974 , Chile , Strait of Magellan , VLCC ''Metula'' oil spill , Magellanic , 40,000 birds oiled. Mostly cormorants and penguins. , , - , 1974 , Australia ,

Port Campbell Port Campbell () is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Great Ocean Road, west of the Twelve Apostles, in the Shire of Corangamite. At the , Port Campbell had a population of 478. History The port and the town are name ...

, Victoria , Unknown , Little , "Numbers" of penguins oiled. , , - , 1974 , South Africa , Struisbaii, Western Cape , ''Oriental Pioneer'' (tanker) , African , Several thousand penguins oiled. , , - , 1978 , Chile , San Vincente Bay , ''Cabo Tamar'' oil spill , Humboldt, Magellanic , Impacts unknown, penguins in area. , , - , 1979 , South Africa , St. Croix Island, Algoa Bay , Unknown , African , Penguins collected to prevent harm. , , - , 1981 ,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, Bahia Bustamante , Unknown , Magellanic , Dead penguins found, but ecological impact not studied. , , - , 1982 , Argentina ,

Punta Tombo Punta Tombo is a peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean south of Trelew in Chubut Province, Argentina, where there is a large colony of Magellanic penguins - the largest such colony in Argentina. It is a short distance north of Camarones. Natura ...

, Unknown , Magellanic , 500 oiled penguins found. , , - , 1985 , South Africa , Cape Recife , ''Kapodistrias'' oil spill , , Over 1180 penguins impacted, 137 killed. , , - , 1987 , Australia ,

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...

, ''Nella Dan'' supply ship wreck ,

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, Southern rockhopper, Gentoo , 70 tonnes of light fuel oil lost, ecological damage unknown. , , - , 1987 , Chile , Punta Davis, Strait of Magellan , ''Cabo Pilar'' oil spill , , 4900 tonnes crude spilled, penguin impacts unknown. , , - , 1988 , Australia ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Victoria , ? , Little , 40% of a small colony oiled and killed (100 birds). , , - , 1989 , Argentina ,

Bismarck Strait The Bismarck Strait is a channel in Antarctica. It is located between the southern end of Anvers and Wiencke Islands and the Wilhelm Archipelago. It was surveyed in 1874 by First Antarctic German expedition under Captain Eduard Dallmann. This c ...

, Antarctica , ''Bahia Paraiso'' oil spill , Several, including Adelie , 20,000-30,000 penguins swam through slick, toll unclear owing to 3 year migration pattern, 300 Adelie penguins known to have been killed. , , - , 1990 , Australia ,

Apollo Bay Apollo Bay is a coastal town in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the eastern side of Cape Otway, along the edge of the Barham River and on the Great Ocean Road, in the Colac Otway Shire. The town had a population of 1,790 at ...

, Cape Otway , Tanker ''Arthur Phillip'' , Little , 130 collected alive, only 65 survived. Over 200 dead, estimates up to 700 dead. , , - , 1991 , Argentina ,

Chubut Province Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes rang ...

, Unknown , Magellanic , An estimated 17,000 penguins killed. , , - , 1991 , Chile ,

, Unknown , Magellanic , Estimated 16,000-17,000 dead penguins found. More expected to have died at sea. , , - , 1994 , South Africa , Dassen Island , '' Apollo Sea'' , African , 10,000 penguins collected and cleaned, half of which survived. , , - , 1995 , Australia , Low Head,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, MV ''Iron Baron'' , Little , An estimated 25,000 penguins died from spill impacts. , , - , 1995 , Australia , Bass Strait , Unknown , Little , 13 oiled penguins. , , - , 1995 , South Africa , off Danger Point , Unknown , African , 1332 penguins. , , - , 1998 , South Africa , Cape Town , Harbor pipeline burst , African , 563 penguins. , , - , 1998 ,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

, Oil exploration spills , Magellanic , Killed several hundred penguins. , , - , 1999 , Australia , Gore Bay, Sydney, New South Wales , Shell tanker , Little , Several birds oiled, five were captured, cleaned and released. , , - , 2000 , Australia , Between Summerland Bay and The Nobbies,

Phillip Island Phillip Island ( Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explore ...

, Victoria , Unknown , Little , 9 killed, 164 more oiled and treated. , , - , 2000 , Chile , Cifuncho,

Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. After the Spanish American wars ...

, ''La Moure County'' (US Navy vessel) , Humboldt , 80-120,000 gallons of diesel lost. Penguin impacts unknown. , , - , 2000 , South Africa , Robben Island & Dassen Island , MV ''Treasure'' oil spill , African , 19000 oiled and an additional 19500 removed. Less than 2000 died. 91% rehabilitation success. , , - , 2001 , Chile , Moraleda Channel , ''Jose Fuchs'' , Magellanic , 150 tonnes crude oil spilled. , , - , 2001 , Australia , Victoria , , Little , 438 penguins treated with a 96% survival rate. , , - , 2004 , Chile ,

Primera Angostura Primera Angostura is a sound of the Strait of Magellan in the Chilean region of Magallanes. It is located near Punta Delgada. It lies between the commune of San Gregorio, in Magallanes Province, to the north, and the commune of Primavera, in ...

, Magellan Strait , Tanker ''Berge Nice'' collision with tugboat , , 160 tonnes of oil spilled. Unknown number of penguins impacted. , , - , 2005 , Chile , Antofagasta , ''Eider'' cargo ship grounded , Humboldt , Penguins impacted. , , - , 2006 , Argentina , Near Cabo Virgenes, south Patagonia , Unknown , Magellanic , 100 oiled penguins found. An estimated 400 were oiled. , , - , 2007 , Argentina , Caleta Cordova, Chubut , Oil terminal spill , Magellanic , Over 1500 penguins impacted. , , - , 2009 , Australia , Kingston /

Robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...

, South Australia , Unknown , Little , 7 penguins oiled and treated. , , - , 2008 ,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, Montevideo , Tanker ''Syros'' oil spill , Magellanic , At least 72 penguins oiled and killed , , - , 2011 , New Zealand ,

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, ''Rena'' oil spill , Little , 20,000 seabirds (including penguins) killed by spill and ecosystem impacts. 383 were successfully cleaned and released. , , - , 2011 , United Kingdom , Tristan da Cunha islands , MS ''Oliva'' , Rockhopper , 20,000 penguins oiled, 4,000 relocated to Tristan da Cunha. "Thousands" more died. , , - , 2015-2016 , Chile , near Cachagua , , Humboldt , Penguin colony threatened by two oil spills during this period. , , - , 2016 , South Africa ,

Port of Ngqura The Port of Ngqura is a deepwater port on the east coast (Indian Ocean) of South Africa, 20 km northeast of Gqeberha. It was authorised by an act of parliament in 2002, construction started in September 2002 and the port became operational ...

, Bunkering , African , 100 oiled penguins were treated. , , - , 2019 , South Africa , Port of Ngqura , Bunkering , African , Hundreds of penguins were harmed in minor spill. , , - , 2022 , Peru , Lima ,

Repsol Repsol S.A.
El Nuevo Herald, 2012-05-31Originally an init ...

refinery , Humboldt , Penguins and other seabirds oiled. Some rescued and cleaned. , {{Cite web , date=2022-02-11 , title=Calif. wildlife team rescues penguins from Peru oil spill , url=https://www.kron4.com/news/california/calif-wildlife-team-rescues-penguins-from-peru-oil-spill/ , access-date=2022-10-26 , website=KRON4 , language=en-US

References

Oil spills Penguins Environmental disasters