Oil spills and their aftermath

[CielOnTap]

There was a posting on Speak-Ez about a collision a couple of weeks ago in the same area in Alaska that the Exxon Valdez had its accident years ago. I will provide a link to it when I find it.

Now there is research on how much oil on the beach from the Valdez has broken down over the years. Well, some oil has broken down but the process slowed down as the oil got absorbed. Here's the outlook:

Exxon spill oil persistence may be explained

By ELIZABETH BLUEMINK
Published: January 17th, 2010 06:28 PM
Last Modified: January 17th, 2010 07:01 PM

For nearly a decade, scientists have puzzled over the persistence of oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Oil pools in a well dug in 2008 by Temple University engineering students on a Prince William Sound beach hit by crude from the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

A pair of Lower 48 researchers on Sunday published the first study to attempt an explanation for why that oil isn't degrading as much as expected.

Their findings have implications for any future attempt to remove residual oil from the beaches -- a proposal launched by state and federal prosecutors in 2006 that is still being negotiated with Exxon Mobil Corp. http://www.adn.com/exxonvaldez/story/1097964.html

[guitarblues]

What about the feathered creatures in the area--do they look like they carry an extra sheen to their feathers?

Ten years has elapsed since that incident. What other news will come in 10 years? It's been a year since that collision near South Korea's coast--an oil slick there shut down the fishing industry. See if the villagers got comp'd for their losses.

[CielOnTap]

Useful reason to flip through old magazines before recycling-you can find a relevant article to a current topic here on Speak-EZ!

From the April 2009 issue of Reader's Digest, I discovered a short article on MIT's development of a wet wipe for oil called "nanowires"--the item only absorbs oil (up to 200 times the weight of the nanowires) not wire. Has MIT been in touch with the tanker companies that have had oil spills? The wildlife would probably appreciate a quick restoration of their habitat.

MIT ought to call Ireland too-last year's spill was left for wave action to dissipate. The 10-year study of the beach in Alaska, plus this new product should expedite a cleanup this year of the Irish spill zone.

[CielOnTap]

A possible spill in Australia over the Great Barrier Reef must be alarming people today. How does a carrier ship get near the reef? Given its importance to the enviroment and to tourism, this event must be an emergency.

Officials Fear Ship Breaking on Reef

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 4, 2010
Filed at 10:54 a.m. ET
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A coal-carrying ship that strayed outside a shipping lane and ran aground in protected waters was leaking oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and was in danger of breaking apart, officials said Sunday.

The Chinese Shen Neng 1 ran aground late Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. The shoals -- off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park -- are in a protected part of the reef where shipping is restricted by environmental law.

Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef, which is off northeast Australia and listed as a World Heritage site.

The ship hit the reef at full speed, nine miles (15 kilometers) outside the shipping lane, State Premier Anna Bligh said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/04/04/science/AP-AS-Australia-Coal-Carrier.html?_r=1&hp

The marine pilot consideration may have to become a standard part of shipping contracts to protect the reef. Or the government is going to have to consider some sort of marking system to direct ships away from the area. What do you think will result?

[alohasand]

Tourism workers, environmentalists, government critics and more will have a field day with this incident. However, the Great Barrier Reef was struck--what the (unmentionable) are people thinking? I think a fine to both parties, ship owner/crew and gov't, is in order.

Going to be a busy autumn in Australia with this issue.

[CielOnTap]

Crew arrested over reef crash
TOM ARUP
April 15, 2010

TWO crew members of the Chinese coal ship that smashed into the Great Barrier Reef have been arrested and charged by the Australian Federal Police.

In a statement yesterday, the police said an investigation had shown the ship failed to turn at a ''waypoint'', sending the Shen Neng 1 off the narrow shipping route and into the protected Douglas Shoal at full speed.

The two men arrested are a 47-year-old, alleged by police to be the master of the vessel, and a 44-year-old, alleged to be the chief officer-on-watch. Both will appear in Gladstone court today.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/crew-arrested-over-reef-crash-20100414-se6l.html

The Australian Transport Safety Authority will also release today the initial findings of the investigation into the accident.

The arrests came as the Marine Park Authority produced images of the damage to coral at Douglas Shoal. They show areas of the once-pristine shoal flattened by the hull and deep scraping across the coral bed.

The grounding and subsequent pushing of the ship across the shoal by wind and tide left a path of destruction three kilometres long and up to 250 metres wide.

Difficult matter, that coral regrowth. Then the matter of oil near a turtle hatching island. So the blame is put on the ship's top two crew members. And the report is---not yet posted on the authority's website:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2010/mair/274-mo-2010-003.aspx

[fishandchips]

The report will be worth reading.

The coral damage, after all that attention was paid to it in tourism ads, could affect tourism unless it was tied into helping the area regenerate.

[smitty]

One really has to give some of these matters a bit of thought. A few yrs ago a ferry coming south from Alaska hit a reef, but the problem was the two in charge were a husband & wife or a couple of lovers in deep arguing. Cost a man & woman their lives as they had rented a room so as to be togeather & they went down with the ferry. No dramatic oil, spill in his case, but errors were made by humans.

[CielOnTap]

http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/805953/mo2010003_prelim.pdf

The 6-page report is mostly a timeline and notation of actions aboard the ship, with a few issues to be considered at the end of the report. There is a notation about changing course to reduce time; it reminded me of the theory that the Brazilian-French flight last summer might have used a course calculation to save on fuel weight, a practice known to commercial pilots in doing their preflight numbers.

If you look at the charts in the report, there are many bodies in the water-islands, reef, etc.

[smitty]

Could it be that this matter of oil spills is on the agenda, because of the minor incident in the Gulf? What a screw-up to say the least.

After all they have no sure idea & are hoping a far away oil rig might accidently hit their main line & be the answer. What dreamers for everything they have thought of, as of to-date has been a 100% loss.