Oil spill identification

The 6th Oil Spill Identification Round Robin within the Bonn Agreement Oil Spill Identification Network of Experts (OSINET) has been organized by CEDRE. SINTEF received 7 samples and has followed the instructions given by the organizers for analysis and data treatment. The GC/MS analysis showed that the source oil and the spill samples were heavy fuel oils or refined products. However, due to the weathering degree of the spill samples, all PAH ratios and several of the biomarker ratios seem to be influenced by biodegradation and therefore should be eliminated when evaluating the samples. The following conclusions are suggested:• Spill 1 has positive match to the reference oil• Spill 2 has positive match to the reference oil• Spill 3 is inconclusive or has probable to the reference oil• Spill 4 is inconclusive or has probable match to the reference oil• Spill 5 is inconclusive to the reference oil• Spill 6 is inconclusive to the reference oil