Fate and behavior of Sanchi oil spill transported by the Kuroshio during January–February 2018

The fate and behavior of the Sanchi oil spill during January–February 2018 was simulated by coupling an oil spill model and satellite observations with meteo-oceanographic forcing. Extensive validation tests were performed for winds, currents, surface slick, stranded oil and oil fate. A series of hindcast experiments was designed to take into account the uncertainties in oil amount, environmental forcing and model parameters. The simulations confirmed that the stable large-scale Kuroshio acted as the primary driving force. Most oil followed the Kuroshio's large-meander path, rapidly passing through the East China Sea to the waters south of Japan. The wind, appearing as the secondary transport factor, did not change the path of this large-scale current, but did contribute to the drift of surface oil. The different fates for heavy fuel oil and condensate in the accident were also compared quantitatively and discussed in this study.