# List of oil spills impacting penguins

Penguins are vulnerable to exposure to oil spills due to their site fidelity, aquatic lifestyle and near-surface foraging habits. Across their range, penguins have been impacted by chronic and acute oil pollution at sea. The following list includes examples of events where impacts to penguins were documented. It is not exhaustive.
| Year | Country | Location | Origin | Species | Notes |
| 1925 | Australia | Port Phillip Bay, Victoria | Unknown | Little | "A number" of oiled penguins ashore and some dead. |
| 1934 | New Zealand | Kapiti Island, Manawatu beaches | Unknown | Little | “Many” penguins killed and oiled. |
| 1936 | South Africa | Cape Town | Unknown | African | One bird oiled. |
| 1940 | New Zealand | Auckland | Unknown | Little | Hundreds of penguins oiled and killed. |
| 1945 | Australia | Sydney, New South Wales | Unknown | Little | Single penguin captured and treated. |
| 1946 | Australia | Port Phillip Bay, Victoria | Unknown | Little | “Many” penguins killed and oiled. |
| 1948 | South Africa | Dyer Island | Esso Wheeling oil spill | African | One third of penguin population, “thousands” oiled and killed. |
| 1952 | South Africa | Robben Island, Table Bay | Unknown | African | Over 1200 oiled penguins came ashore. |
| 1953 | South Africa | Table Bay | Sliedrecht oil spill | African | Penguins oiled and killed. |
| 1954 | Australia | Port Phillip Bay, Victoria | Unknown | Little | 36 penguins oiled. |
| 1954 | Australia | Port Phillip Bay, Victoria | Unknown | Little | “large numbers” of dead and oiled birds ashore |
| 1968 | South Africa | Cape Point, Western Cape | Esso Essen oil spill | African | Over 1700 penguins impacted by oil. |
| 1971 | Australia | Cowes, Victoria | Unknown | Little | 43 oiled, dying penguins found. |
| 1971 | Australia | South-eastern South Australia | Unknown | Little | "Hundreds" oiled coming ashore. |
| 1971 | South Africa | Cape Aghulas & Dyer Island | SS Wafra oil spill | African | Over 1216 penguins oiled. |
| 1972 | South Africa | Dassen Island | Unknown | African | 4000 penguins impacted. |
| 1972 | South Africa | Ystervark Point | Oswego Guardian-Texanita collision | African | 500 penguins impacted. |
| 1973 | Chile | Guamblin Island | Napier oil spill | Magellanic | Impacts unknown. Penguins in vicinity. |
| 1974 | Chile | Strait of Magellan | VLCC Metula oil spill | Magellanic | 40,000 birds oiled. Mostly cormorants and penguins. |
| 1974 | Australia | Port Campbell, Victoria | Unknown | Little | "Numbers" of penguins oiled. |
| 1974 | South Africa | Struisbaii, Western Cape | Oriental Pioneer (tanker) | African | Several thousand penguins oiled. |
| 1978 | Chile | San Vincente Bay | Cabo Tamar oil spill | Humboldt, Magellanic | Impacts unknown, penguins in area. |
| 1979 | South Africa | St. Croix Island, Algoa Bay | Unknown | African | Penguins collected to prevent harm. |
| 1981 | Argentina | Bahia Bustamante | Unknown | Magellanic | Dead penguins found, but ecological impact not studied. |
| 1982 | Argentina | Punta Tombo | Unknown | Magellanic | 500 oiled penguins found. |
| 1985 | South Africa | Cape Recife | Kapodistrias oil spill | | Over 1180 penguins impacted, 137 killed. |
| 1987 | Australia | Macquarie Island | Nella Dan supply ship wreck | Royal, King, Southern rockhopper, Gentoo | 70 tonnes of light fuel oil lost, ecological damage unknown. |
| 1987 | Chile | Punta Davis, Strait of Magellan | Cabo Pilar oil spill | | 4900 tonnes crude spilled, penguin impacts unknown. |
| 1988 | Australia | Portland, Victoria | ? | Little | 40% of a small colony oiled and killed (100 birds). |
| 1989 | Argentina | Bismarck Strait, Antarctica | Bahia Paraiso oil spill | Several, including Adelie | 20,000-30,000 penguins swam through slick, toll unclear owing to 3 year migration pattern, 300 Adelie penguins known to have been killed. |
| 1990 | Australia | Apollo Bay, Cape Otway | Tanker Arthur Phillip | Little | 130 collected alive, only 65 survived. Over 200 dead, estimates up to 700 dead. |
| 1991 | Argentina | Chubut Province | Unknown | Magellanic | An estimated 17,000 penguins killed. |
| 1991 | Chile | Punta Tombo | Unknown | Magellanic | Estimated 16,000-17,000 dead penguins found. More expected to have died at sea. |
| 1994 | South Africa | Dassen Island | Apollo Sea | African | 10,000 penguins collected and cleaned, half of which survived. |
| 1995 | Australia | Low Head, Tasmania | MV Iron Baron | Little | An estimated 25,000 penguins died from spill impacts. |
| 1995 | Australia | Bass Strait | Unknown | Little | 13 oiled penguins. |
| 1995 | South Africa | off Danger Point Lighthouse | Unknown | African | 1332 penguins. |
| 1998 | South Africa | Cape Town | Harbor pipeline burst | African | 563 penguins. |
| 1998 | United Kingdom | Falkland Islands | Oil exploration spills | Magellanic | Killed several hundred penguins. |
| 1999 | Australia | Gore Bay, Sydney, New South Wales | Shell tanker | Little | Several birds oiled, five were captured, cleaned and released. |
| 2000 | Australia | Between Summerland Bay and The Nobbies, Phillip Island, Victoria | Unknown | Little | 9 killed, 164 more oiled and treated. |
| 2000 | Chile | Cifuncho, Antofagasta | La Moure County (US Navy vessel) | Humboldt | 80-120,000 gallons of diesel lost. Penguin impacts unknown. |
| 2000 | South Africa | Robben Island & Dassen Island | MV Treasure oil spill | African | 19000 oiled and an additional 19500 removed. Less than 2000 died. 91% rehabilitation success. |
| 2001 | Chile | Moraleda Channel | Jose Fuchs | Magellanic | 150 tonnes crude oil spilled. |
| 2001 | Australia | Victoria | | Little | 438 penguins treated with a 96% survival rate. |
| 2004 | Chile | Primera Angostura, Magellan Strait | Tanker Berge Nice collision with tugboat | | 160 tonnes of oil spilled. Unknown number of penguins impacted. |
| 2005 | Chile | Antofagasta | Eider cargo ship grounded | Humboldt | Penguins impacted. |
| 2006 | Argentina | Near Cabo Virgenes, south Patagonia | Unknown | Magellanic | 100 oiled penguins found. An estimated 400 were oiled. |
| 2007 | Argentina | Caleta Cordova, Chubut | Oil terminal spill | Magellanic | Over 1500 penguins impacted. |
| 2009 | Australia | Kingston / Robe, South Australia | Unknown | Little | 7 penguins oiled and treated. |
| 2008 | Uruguay | Montevideo | Tanker Syros oil spill | Magellanic | At least 72 penguins oiled and killed |
| 2011 | New Zealand | Tauranga | Rena oil spill | Little | 20,000 seabirds (including penguins) killed by spill and ecosystem impacts. 383 were successfully cleaned and released. |
| 2011 | United Kingdom | Tristan da Cunha islands | MS Oliva | Rockhopper | 20,000 penguins oiled, 4,000 relocated to Tristan da Cunha. "Thousands" more died. |
| 2015-2016 | Chile | near Cachagua | | Humboldt | Penguin colony threatened by two oil spills during this period. |
| 2016 | South Africa | Port of Ngqura | Bunkering | African | 100 oiled penguins were treated. |
| 2019 | South Africa | Port of Ngqura | Bunkering | African | Hundreds of penguins were harmed in minor spill. |
| 2022 | Peru | Lima | Repsol refinery | Humboldt | Penguins and other seabirds oiled. Some rescued and cleaned. |