Satellite data and machine learning reveal that routine oil pollution from ships and offshore platforms covers approximately 1.6 million square kilometers of the ocean surface each year.
This area, slightly larger than Mongolia, is detailed in a report by Skytruth, which utilized satellite imagery, machine learning, and vessel tracking data from 2023 to 2025. Skytruth CEO John Amos stated that this type of pollution was previously largely invisible. The slicks originate from sources such as bilge waste, a mixture of oil and water from ship hulls, and the flushing of crude oil residue from tankers.
Most of these oil discharges are reportedly illegal under the international treaty MARPOL, which limits oil content in discharged bilge water to 15 parts per million.
Source: Mongabay