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Summary

In 1983, the Nowruz Oil Field in the Persian Gulf, Iran, was involved in a number of oil
pollution incidents.  On February 10, 1983, a tanker collided with a platform.  The
platform developed a 45-degree tilt and had to be shut down.  Wave action and corrosion
apparently caused the riser to collapse into the wellhead causing a spill of approximately
1,500 barrels per day.  The well was not capped because the field was in the middle of the
Iran/Iraq war zone. This platform was attacked by Iraqi planes in March and the resulting
slick caught fire.  This well was capped by the Iranians on September 18, 1983.  Eleven
people were killed during the operation.

In March 1983, a nearby platform was attacked with rockets by Iraqi helicopters.  The
platform burned and spilled oil at an initial rate of approximately 5,000 barrels per day.
The rate slowed to about 1,500 barrels per day in the two years before the well was
capped.  In May 1985, the fire was extinguished and the well was plugged with the
assistance of divers.  Nine men died during these operations.  Approximately 733,000
barrels of oil spilled into the sea as a result of this incident.  It is estimated that
the rate of oil leaking into the Persian Gulf in mid-May of 1983 was between 4,000 and
10,000 barrels per day due to more war-related activity or the collapse of burning
platforms.

As a result of this incident, a cooperative program for large-scale trajectory modeling
was developed between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Kuwait's
Environment Protection Council under the Ministry of Public Health.