Mitigating marine oil spills: A review of spill behavior, response technologies, and emerging strategies

Marine oil spills pose a significant risk to ocean ecosystems, coastal industries, and public health, making effective oil spill response a critical component of maritime environmental protection. The major challenges in current marine oil spill emergency response include the difficulty of accurately predicting oil migration and weathering processes, achieving effective treatment under extreme marine conditions, and minimizing associated environmental and health risks. Over recent decades, a range of cleanup techniques have been introduced, including physical recovery, chemical dispersants, bioremediation, and in-situ burning (ISB). This paper presents a thorough review of these marine oil spill response technologies, and examines the evolution mechanisms of marine oil spills across different stages and corresponding response strategies, with particular focus on the principles, performance optimization, and environmental impacts of ISB. Furthermore, the emerging Blue Whirl phenomenon is introduced as a promising breakthrough toward achieving cleaner and more efficient combustion in future applications.