OIL SPILL SIMULATIONS IN THE AFTERMATH OF TANKER ACCIDENT AT THE TANKER ROUTES IN THE MARMARA SEA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Marmara is a small inland sea in Turkey, connected to the Black Sea by the Istanbul Strait (Bosporus) and to the Aegean Sea by the Canakkale Strait (Dardanelles), separating the continents of Europe and Asia; area 11,140 square km/4,300 square mi. In parts it reaches depths of over 1,200 m/3,936 ft. International importance of the Sea of Marmara stands in the forefront even though it is an inland sea of Turkey and it deals with increasing ecological problems for the last 50 years. The Pollution in the Sea of Marmara which threatens all living species cause dramatic falling in fishing potential. Increase in the volume of maritime traffic on the Strait and the Sea of Marmara have increased the risk of the maritime accidents over the years and since 1948 the number of ship accidents have been recorded as around 700. Furthermore, being on the transportation way of hazardous and dangerous materials, pose environmental and safety hazards for the Bosphorus Strait and the Marmara Sea with the surrounding residential areas. The increasing sea traffic also causes considerable congestion on the northern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait. Increase in the volume of maritime traffic on the Bosphorus and Marmara Sea heightens the risk of maritime accidents. In the present work, the risky region of Marmara Sea is chosen for simulation studies. It is assumed that 1000 tonnes of medium crude oil is spilled in the aftermath of a tanker accident. The distribution of oil spill is then determined with respect to time and space by considering 2 different wind directions and scale. The simulation code GNOME™ version 1.2.7 is utilized to generate the oil spill scenarios. As a result of these runs, spillage areas were identified as risky areas and necessary actions to minimize the effect of spill were discussed in the Marmara Sea.