There was an increase in the number of large oil spills from tankers last year compared to 2014, but the overall trend for the decade remains a downwards one according to International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF).

Last year saw two large spills of over 700 tonnes compared to just one in 2014. The two large spills were a crude oils spill off Singapore and naphtha spill in Turkey according to data from ITOPF.

ITOPF said there six medium-sized spills of 7-700 tonnes reported in 2015, involving cargoes of asphalt, naphtha and slurry oil, as well as bunker fuel. The total amount of oil spilled from tankers in 2015 was about 7,000 tonnes it said.

The trend for the decade as whole continues to see a fall in large tanker spills with an average 1.8 spills a year between 2010 and 2015.

“This continuing trend in low numbers of large oil spills annually is encouraging news for tanker operators and governments alike as they continue to work to improve standards of operations in sea-borne transportation,” ITOPF said.