Ixtoc I oil spill
| Ixtoc 1 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico Campeche, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 19°24′30″N 92°19′30″W / 19.408333°N 92.325°W |
| Date | 3 June 1979 – 23 March 1980 |
| Cause | |
| Cause | Wellhead blowout |
| Operator | Pemex |
| Spill characteristics | |
| Volume | 3 million barrels (130,000,000 U.S. gallons; 480,000 cubic meters) |
| Area | 2,800 km2 (1,100 sq mi) |
| Shoreline impacted | 261 km (162 mi) |
Ixtoc 1 was an exploratory oil well being drilled by the semi-submersible drilling rig Sedco 135 in the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters 50 m (164 ft) deep. On 3 June 1979, the well suffered a blowout resulting in the largest oil spill in history at its time. To-date, it remains the second largest marine oil spill in history after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.