http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills One of the most devastating forms of pollution, oil spills wreak havoc on marine ecosystems. They have a detrimental effect on plant life and endanger the lives of birds, fish and other animals. en Copyright 2013, History.com Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-21T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo1 On March 16, 1978, the Amoco Cadiz supertanker wrecked off the coast of Portsall, France, spilling 223,000 tons of oil into the sea. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo2 After the 1978 Amoco Cadiz disaster, 240 miles of France's Brittany coast suffered oil damage, with millions of dead mollusks and sea urchins washing ashore. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo3 The exploratory oil well Ixtoc I exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on June 3, 1979, spewing 140 million gallons of oil into the open sea. It took control experts more than nine months to cap the spill and begin cleanup. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo4 The Greek-operated oil tanker Prestige sank off the Galician coast in 2002, polluting more than one thousand beaches. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo5 South Korea suffered its worst oil spill to date on December 11, 2007, when the Hebei Spirit tanker collided with a barge. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo6 On February 2, 2007, the refrigerator ship Sierra Nava ran aground near Algeciras in southern Spain, spilling engine fuel over protected coasts. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo7 Oil spills often affect marine birds and other wildlife, wreaking havoc on local ecosystems. http://www.history.com/photos/oil-spills/photo7