The extent of frequent, smaller-scale ‘chronic oiling’ in the North Sea has been grossly underestimated due to a combination of the oil industry’s failure to provide data and an opaque and misleading reporting system.

When these are accounted for, estimates of the volume of oil spilling into UK seas increase by at least 43%, and the true amount is almost certainly much more.

Oceana has partnered with the climate campaign group Uplift to release the first ever comprehensive review of how the oil and gas industry is damaging the UK’s seas. UK waters are well known for their abundance of large whales, dolphins and seabirds, seals, deep sponge communities and cold water reefs; many of which are endangered species.

Newly published FOI data in In Deep Water reveals that these species are subject to a constant flow of small oil spills, which has the potential to kill sea life and to significantly impact the life chances and reproductive success of others.