Accidental oil spills happen frequently with an average of 10 spills per year.

It has been 15 months since the accident in which a BP-contracted drilling rig exploded in the gulf, resulting in the biggest-ever accidental oil spill.

Dudley took the helm on 1 October, after his predecessor, Tony Hayward, paid the price for what is officially the world's biggest offshore accidental oil spill.

The U.S. government has said it would let U.S. companies that handle accidental oil spills operate in Cuban waters if the need arose.

Currently, Berkeley Sound is used by the Falklands fishing industry as a designated locality for the transshipment of fish., with accidental oil spills having occurred in the process.

Both BP and Transocean were found by official inquiries to have been at fault over the accident on April 20 last year that killed 11 men and caused the largest ever accidental oil spill.

With increases in marine transport and the development of offshore oil and gas reserves off the coast of Canada, including the Arctic, accidental oil spills have become an environmental issue of priority concern.

Since it came into being IMO has been at the forefront of pollution control and as a result of various conventions that they have sought agreement for, the number of accidental oil spills has fallen (see Diagram 1: