NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME FOR TASMAN SPIRIT OIL SPILL IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

ABSTRACT The oil tanker Tasman Spirit was grounded in the channel of the port of Karachi, Pakistan on 27, July 2003. The vessel was carrying a cargo of 67,535 tones of Iranian Light crude oil for delivery to the Pakistan Refinery Limited in Karachi when the grounding occurred. Significant quantities of oil were spilled when the Tasman Spirit broke up during the evening of August 13, 2003. By 18 August approximately 27,000 tones of cargo had been lost. The coastal environment in which the Tasman Spirit oil spill (TSOS) occurred is a rich and diverse tropical marine/estuarine ecosystem. It includes extensive mangrove forests, habitat for sea turtles, dolphins, porpoises, and beaked whales, and several species of lizards and sea snakes. The initial findings revealed that the initial impacted area covered about 1600 square kilometer and a coast line of 7.5 kilometer. Pakistan does not have the expertise to deal with oil spill disaster of this magnitude. The rapid assessment report was prepared with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme and local experts. The report emphasized the need of carrying out a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). This paper highlights important findings of the NRDA study describing the methodologies adapted for the systematic assessment of the extent and severity of the environmental damage and ecological injury resulting from the Tasman Spirit Oil Spill.