Rate of offshore oil spills more than QUADRUPLED in the past 10 years: USAToday

And BP is the primary culprit:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-06-07-oil-spill-mess_N.htm

The number of spills from offshore oil rigs and pipelines in U.S. waters more than quadrupled this decade, a trend that could have served as a warning for the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico, according to government data and safety experts. The spills — and the amount of oil that leaked — grew markedly worse even when taking increases in production into account, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data shows. The leaks came as the oil industry repeatedly claimed that offshore drilling was never safer.

The company with the most spills from 2000 through 2009 is BP, which leased the well spewing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf since April 20, according to the data. The oil giant and its affiliated companies reported 23 spills of 50 barrels or more, not including the latest blowout. Oil firm Shell was next with 21, according to MMS spill reports.

Environmental activists and safety experts said the increasing numbers of spills should have been a red flag that the industry needed to tighten safety practices and that federal regulators needed to improve oversight.