The ship spilled 420,000 gallons of heating oil, soiling the water and beaches in an area famous for its fishing and recreation.

The region's low point may have come in June 1976, when an oil barge crashed and spilled 300,000 gallons of oil into the river.

The crash spilled 2,200 gallons of diesel fuel onto the northbound lanes, but it could have been much worse, officials said.

It spilled 170,000 gallons of diesel initially and a further 15,000 to 20,000 gallons earlier this week.

It spilled nearly eight million gallons of No. 6 fuel oil, which is heavy, viscous and long-lived.

Since 1970 oil pipelines have spilled more than 280 million gallons in the United States.

The damaged tanker spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sound.

In their haste, they spilled ten gallons of fuel over the wing.

Oil had contaminated the shoreline after a cargo ship spilled 58,000 gallons of fuel.

More than 35 years ago, an offshore drilling rig spilled approximately three million gallons of oil into the waters near Santa Barbara.