Abstract: The release process of petroleum pollutants in sediments is influenced by marine hydrodynamics, environmental factors, characteristics of seabed sediments and biological disturbance, etc. The secondary pollution caused by these pollutants has a long cycle and affects the water environment, coastal recreational activities and various physiological activities of marine organisms. In order to deepen the understanding of the release process, this paper summarizes the mechanism of the release of petroleum pollutants in marine sediments, emphatically analyzes the mechanism of the influence of seabed liquefaction instability on the process, and summarizes the dynamic model of the release of petroleum pollutants. Finally, the future research directions and work emphases of petroleum release from sediments are pointed out: to explore the influence of physical and chemical properties of sediments on petroleum release from sediments, to study the effect of wave-induced pore pressure accumulation on this process, and to establish a dynamic model of petroleum release under wave action.