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Worst Oil Spill News

15 Jun 2016

Tech File: Fire Boom for the US' Worst Oil Spill

Photo: Elastec

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling platform was destroyed as a result of a catastrophic blowout of the Macondo 252 well in the Gulf of Mexico. The blowout resulted in a continuous discharge of approximately 3.19 million barrels of oil over three months covering approximately 30,000 square miles of the Gulf. It was the worst accidental oil spill in U.S. history. Due to the massive amount of oil being spewed into the Gulf, three aggressive oil removal methods were authorized: mechanical skimming, dispersant application and controlled burns.

14 Apr 2016

Six Years after BP Spill, US Sets New Offshore Oil Safety Rules

Gas from the damaged Deepwater Horizon wellhead is burned by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise in May 2010, in a process known as flaring. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Patrick Kelley)

The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled new oil well control rules to prevent the kind of blowout that happened six years ago on a BP Plc rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced the finalized regulations, which include more stringent design requirements and operational procedures for offshore U.S. oil and gas operations. The new standards come nearly six years after a deadly explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the cost of Louisiana, which led to the worst oil spill of all time.

06 Apr 2016

How Politics Impacts OPA 90 Responder Immunity

Steven Candito

Many people today are frustrated with the current U.S. political process as we endure various government stalemates on budgets, Supreme Court appointments, and, of course, the Presidential election. The general theme is voters are angry with the political establishment and, as a result, outsiders like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are doing well in the polls. Much of this anger is directed at the influence big money donors and lobbyists have over the process. Thus, Trump who has committed to self-financing his campaign and Sanders…

24 May 2015

Sea Urchin Haven Disturbed by Oil Spill

Stephanie Mutz makes a living plucking sea urchins from the Santa Barbara coast and selling the prickly treasure to upscale restaurants in Southern California. Now, she needs new hunting grounds. The coast, thought to be one of the world's best places for harvesting sea urchins, suffered its worst oil spill in 46 years this week, forcing authorities to ban fishing in an area 23 miles (37 km) long by seven miles (11 km) wide. "That was one of my predominant fishing spots, so I just have to think of a Plan B," said Mutz, who supplies restaurants from Santa Barbara to Orange County, including the Michelin-starred Providence in Los Angeles.

24 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 24

1909-  Muskeget, Massachusetts: the schooner Vigilant parted moorings, and stranded one mile south of the station. The owner applied to the keeper at 10:30 p.m. for assistance. Surfmen proceeded to the scene, carried out an anchor and line, and hove the schooner into deep water. During the storm the owner was sheltered and supplied with meals at the station for two days. But for the security afforded by an additional anchor and cable loaned by the crew, Vigilant would have stranded a second time. 1920-The first Coast Guard air station was established at Morehead City, North Carolina. The station was closed on 1 July 1921 due to a lack of funding. 1989- The tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 10.1 million gallons of crude oil.

14 Jan 2011

Nat’l Commission Says: Jones Act No Hinderance to Spill Clean Up

The January 11, 2011 report from the non-partisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling confirmed the Jones Act did not prevent foreign vessels from assisting with the clean-up effort during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year. “Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling” was prepared by the independent entity at the request of President Barack Obama. “While decision makers did decline to purchase some foreign equipment for operational reasons ‒ for example, Dutch vessels that would have taken weeks to outfit and sail to the region, and a Taiwanese super-skimmer that was expensive and highly inefficient in the Gulf ‒ they did not reject foreign ships because of Jones Act restrictions…

29 Jul 2010

Resolve Marine Offers OPA-90 Guidance

Photo courtesy Resolve Marine Group

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 27, 2010 -  Resolve Marine Group and Five Oceans Salvage presented the new United States’ OPA-90 regulations governing all tank vessels entering U.S. waters, on July 14, 2010 in Athens, Greece. Tanker and cargo ship owners, representatives and managers attended a reception hosted by Athens based Five Oceans Salvage and a presentation by Resolve Marine Group, a U.S. based salvage and marine firefighting company, to learn about the new requirements which are effective February 22, 2011. All tank and cargo vessels entering U.S.

22 Jul 2010

OilDam Approved for Initial Deployment to Oil Spill

TIE Technologies, Inc. and Geocomp Corporation announced that the British Petroleum PLC Houston Command Team and the U.S. Coast Guard approved initial deployment of the OilDam(TM) as a solution to keep leaking crude oil from away from the Gulf Coast shore. Separately, BP announced that it will give $75m worth of grants to Alabama, Florida and Mississippi to protect the environmentally sensitive coastline as the states respond to the worst oil spill in America's history. The OilDam(TM) solution is designed to keep oil away from the shore, contain it and pump it into storage containers for recycling. At the same time, this fixed barrier blocks oil, and is ecosystem friendly by allowing water to pass back and forth through its base, maintaining tidal flows to support critical shoreline life.

16 Jul 2010

OMSA on Drilling Moratorium Poll

The results of the national poll of Americans who were asked about their view on the Obama Administration’s moratorium on deep-water drilling are very telling, with nearly three-fourths, or 73 percent, saying “a ban is unnecessary, calling the worst oil spill in U.S. history a 'freak accident,'” according to Bloomberg. The moratorium to halt drilling will cut the legs out from under a Gulf Coast economy that is already reeling from the initial spill. It will cause a ripple effect from the offshore workboat operators who supply oil rig equipment all the way down to the grocery stores who supply food for the mariners. The moratorium is short-sighted and will cripple an already hard-hit maritime industry operating in the Gulf Coast region.

23 Mar 2010

This Day in Coast Guard History – March 24

1909-  Muskeget, Massachusetts: the schooner Vigilant parted moorings, and stranded one mile south of the station. The owner applied to the keeper at 10:30 p.m. for assistance. Surfmen proceeded to the scene, carried out an anchor and line, and hove the schooner into deep water. During the storm the owner was sheltered and supplied with meals at the station for two days. But for the security afforded by an additional anchor and cable loaned by the crew, Vigilant would have stranded a second time. 1920-The first Coast Guard air station was established at Morehead City, North Carolina. The station was closed on 1 July 1921 due to a lack of funding. 1989- The tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 10.1 million gallons of crude oil.

14 Nov 2008

Operation Big Tow

Coast Guard units along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi River and Western Rivers system have begun operations to ensure towing vessels are properly manned and crews have proper licensing as part of Operation Big Tow, which is taking place from November through January. The primary objective of Operation Big Tow is to ensure towing vessels are being operated by properly licensed individuals through boardings and examinations. To minimize any impact to vessel movements or commerce by the Coast Guard by working with industry and towing vessel operators to conduct boardings and examinations at locks and dams, while vessels are tied up pier side, or through other methods that facilitate the flow of commerce while allowing examiners to check licenses and conduct safety checks.

03 Mar 2008

Companies Swap Accusations over Oil Spill

Defense lawyers from rival companies wrangled over who was to blame for South Korea's worst oil spill as the trial resumed of five people accused of negligence, according to AFP. The owners of the Hong Kong-registered supertanker Hebei Spirit denied responsibility at the third hearing of the case in Seosan, 90 kilometres (54 miles) southwest of Seoul. They insisted through lawyers that the spill on December 7 was attributable to irresponsible actions by the operators of a Samsung Heavy Industries barge, according to Yonhap news agency. The barge carrying a construction crane snapped its cables to two tugs in rough seas and rammed the anchored 147,000-ton supertanker, holing it in three places and spilling 10,900 tons of crude.

25 Jan 2008

Tanker Owner in Spill Denies Wrongdoing

According to reports, the owner and operators of the tanker involved in South Korea's worst oil spill denied any wrongdoing, but offered sympathy to locals affected by the environmental fallout and their insurer agreed to accept claims for compensation. The Dec. 7 accident occurred after a barge owned by Samsung Group slammed into Hong Kong-registered tanker Hebei Spirit, which leaked 78,920 barrels of oil into western coastal waters. But the owner of Hebei Spirit, Hebei Spirit Shipping Co., and its operator, V. Ships, both denied wrongdoing at a press conference in Hong Kong on Thursday. The accident jeopardized the ecosystem and the livelihood of residents in the area, home to some of the country's most scenic beaches.

28 Jan 2008

Philippines to Ban Single-Hull Vessels

The Philippines will ban single-hull oil tankers from its waters from April, two years earlier than planned, after the worst oil spill in the country's history and a separate leak in South Korea. Vessels carrying "black" petroleum products such as crude oil and bunker fuel won't be allowed to dock at ports from April 1 without a double hull, said Transportation Undersecretary Len Bautista in a phone interview from Manila. The single-hull crude oil supertanker Hebei Spirit caused the worst spill in South Korea's history last month after it was struck by a crane causing it to lose 66,000 barrels of crude oil, about 1/3 the size of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989.

22 Jan 2008

Five Indicted in S. Korea Spill

South Korean prosecutors have reportedly charged five people, including the captain of a Hong Kong-registered tanker, following the nation's worst oil spill last month, according to an AFP report. Last month a drifting barge smashed into the 147,000-ton Hebei Spirit on December 7, holing it in three places and spilling 10,900 tonnes of crude. The barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries had snapped its towline to two tugboats inThe tanker, owned by Hebei Shipping, a Hong Kong corporation, was anchored at the time. Its captain and mate were indicted but not detained for failing to follow safety orders from navigation authorities, the prosecutors said. (Source: AFP)

11 Jan 2008

South Korea to Ban Single-Hulled Tankers after Spill

Reuters reported that South Korea will ban single-hulled tankers from traveling in its waters by 2011, earlier than the international regulation that calls for a ban from 2015, Seoul's maritime ministry said. A single-hulled tanker was involved in South Korea's worst oil spill last month, leaking around 10,500 tons of crude oil after a sea-bound crane mounted on a barge punched holes in the tanker's hull. As of January, 43 per cent of the crude imported into South Korea was carried by single-hulled tankers. This is the first time the ministry has officially set a time frame for banning the tankers. The ministry had previously said it was aiming to phase out single-hulled tankers as soon as 2010.

07 Jan 2008

Ocean Freight Shipping Rates on the Rise

After a downtrend in the freight shipping tanker market since the middle of 2007, the industry has seen nothing but rate increases in the last month. The cost of freight shipping can mean an increase in the cost of many consumer products, according to FreightBrokering.info, which is why it's so important to keep freight transportation costs down. There are many reasons why the costs of ocean freight shipping have increased. Indian Oil Corporation recently paid $9 million in freight transportation charges for shipping crude oil on a very large crude carrier from West Africa to Vadinar, India. The high freight rate was a result of oil firms scrambling to hire ships before the holiday season started, leading to a shortage of ships.

21 Dec 2007

S. Korea Plans Ban on Single Hull Tankers

In the wake of the country's worst oil spill, South Korea reportedly plans to introduce a ban on single-hulled tankers, according to an AFP report. A drifting barge hit a 147,000-ton Hong Kong-registered tanker Hebei Spirit on December 7, holing it in three places, resulting in an estimated 10,900 ton crude oil spill. According to the AFP report, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is mulling moving up the country's single-hull phase out from 2015 to 2010.

09 Jan 2001

Experts Mull Risks Of Mid-Sea Gasoline Transfer

Salvage workers and shipping experts were studying a possible mid-sea transfer of nearly 30,000 tons of gasoline from a damaged tanker at risk of exploding, the ship's operators said. Spanish authorities insisted the tanker would not be allowed back into the country's waters to carry out the potentially risky operation. A tugboat carrying equipment and specialists for the operation had joined the Greek-owned tanker Castor, around 56 km (35 miles) off the Spanish port of Cartagena in the Mediterranean Sea, the ship's operator Athenian Sea Carriers said in a statement. The 1977-built Castor sought refuge in ports in Morocco, Gibraltar and Spain last week after developing a large crack in its main deck but was refused entry amid fears sparks could set off an explosion.

03 Oct 2000

U.S. Supreme Court Reject Exxon Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on an appeal by Exxon Mobil Corp. over the $5 billion punitive damages verdict against it for the 1989 Exxon Valdez accident, the nation's worst oil spill. The justices let stand a U.S. appeals court ruling that the award against the oil giant in a civil lawsuit brought by Alaskan fishermen and other plaintiffs should not be set aside because of irregularities during jury deliberations. The appeal centered on the misconduct of court bailiff Don Warrick, who escorted the jury during the 1994 trial and the deliberations. A dissenting juror, Rita Wilson, had become emotionally distraught on the 32nd day of deliberations, right before the Labor Day weekend.

02 Aug 2000

Brazil Slaps Petrobras With Record Fine For Oil Spill

Brazil's government slapped state oil giant Petrobras with a record fine of nearly $100 million on Aug 1 for causing the country's worst oil spill in 25 years in a disastrous July pipeline rupture. Environmental agency Ibama said the fine - the highest-ever imposed for damage to the ecosystem - was justified due to Petrobras' inability prevent a series of oil spills this year, considered a repeated offense by officials. Petrobras has caused four spills since January. The latest government sanctions against Petrobras came after a broken pipeline oozed a million gallons of crude down the Iguacu River in southern Brazil, contaminating ecological reserves on the banks of the river.

21 Aug 2006

Petron to Bring in Gear to Locate Tanker

Petron Corp. is negotiating with a Singaporean company to bring in advanced technology that would determine the exact location of the oil tanker that sank off Guimaras island and siphon off the remaining bunker oil still in the vessel. Lori Tan of the World Wide Fund said Petron, which chartered the ill-fated M/T Solar I, will bring in deep-sea contractors who will use a side scan zoner to determine the wreck’s actual location on the seabed, a remotely piloted submersible to find the leak, and hot tap to siphon the oil that is still contained in the tanker’s hold. Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes and Tan believe the cleanup might take two years if all the needed technology and assistance arrive soon.

22 Feb 2007

Recovery of Remaining Oil from Solar Days to Take Several Days

The Italian sub-sea construction service provider will begin offloading oil from the sunken tanker Solar 1 on March 14. Although Sonsub International expects the offloading to be an easy job, they assured that they have contingency plans in the event of another oil spill. Officials expect the offloading operations to last for about 25 days, but not shorter than 20 days, subject however to the amount of bunker fuel remaining in the ten cargo holds of Solar 1. It is estimated that by April 14, they will already be demobilizing their equipment. It's not that we want to stay any longer, we just want to ensure that each tank is empty of oil, he added. Sonsub will be bringing in Allied Shield for the operation, which will be conducted round the clock.