ABSTRACT
An estimated 100 million (I X 108) tonnes Ill-about one-third of the global petroleum production annually loaded to tankers-is transported through the Mediterranean [21. Of these, an estimated 330,000 tonnes is deliberately dumped into this closed sea, whereas accidents account for an additional pollution of I X 106 tonnes/year [3]. The resulting oil slicks are washed ashore by the winds onto the densely populated Mediterranean coasts. Despite the high susceptibility of the Mediterranean to oil spill accidents, the literature on bioremediation in this area of the world is extremely limited.
