Evaluation of Shoreline Cleaning Versus Natural Recovery: The Metula Spill and the Komi Operations

An appropriate oil spill response involves evaluation of the likely consequences of treatment or cleanup on ecological and human resources. Two cases are examined: the first is the Metula spill in the Straits of Magellan, Chile, where surveys over a 24-year period provide data on long-term changes on oiled shorelines that were not cleaned or treated. The consequences of the decision not to clean or treat are minimal as the only remaining oil today is restricted to an asphalt pavement and two marshes. In the second case, the 1995–1996 cleanup that followed the Komi pipeline spills in Russia, the operational objective was to prevent oil from affecting downstream resources and populations. This objective was achieved by containment of the oil near the source but the success of the project must be weighed against the consequential additional oiling and construction damage that resulted from the operations to more than 20 hectares of pristine terrain. These two spills in remote locations provide valuable lessons on some aspects of decision trade-offs and on the consequences of the cleanup decision in the context of the concept of net environmental benefit.