Maritime Reporter, September 1997

<BODY> <div> TANKER TECHNOLOGY Environmental Groups Sue USCG For Lack Of Oil Spill Regulation USCG, viewed as a tough enforcer by the international maritime community; is nonetheless taken to task by domestic groups The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is being sued by a coalition of envi- ronmental groups which claims that the government agency has fallen down on the task of requir- ing tankers to make structural changes and other improvements as extra safety measures against oil spills. "Congress ordered the Coast Guard to protect the environment from oil spills ... nonetheless, the Coast Guard threw up its hands and determined that virtually nothing was economical to do," Peter Lehner, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said. The NRDC and several other organizations filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. Under a law passed after the March 1989 Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, Congress called for tankers in U.S. waters to have double hulls, but allowed that requirement to be phased in over 25 years. In the meantime, Congress ordered oper- ating and structural improve- ments be made in single hull tankers to provide as much protec- tion as was economically and tech- nologically feasible. In January, the USCG, which administers ocean spill prevention programs, said it would not require retrofits to prevent spills in single hull tankers before they are retired or rebuilt to meet dou- ble hull requirements by 2015. The environmental groups com- plained that the USCG also backed off other non-structural requirements that could have pro- vided extra protections. "Several measures such as 'hydrostatically balanced loading' — which simply means not over- filling the tanker so that oil does not gush out if the tank breaks — were found feasible, affordable and very effective," Lehner said. "But after the industry complained, the September, 1997 Coast Guard gave in and withdrew that proposal." In January, the USCG said its rule, which is designed to reduce human error and the risk of acci- dents caused by equipment or structural failure, and other oil spill emergency rules imposed ear- lier should be enough protection until all tankers have double hulls. The USCG offered no comment on the lawsuit. Next time you think of steering steer to Jastram! Seaspan International Ltd. and Sylte Shipyard Ltd. chose Jastram Steering Systems when building the 50 foot Twin Screw Tug " "SEASPAN SCOUT' Jastram Marine Hydraulic Steering Systems are an ideal choice when designing a new vessel or considering a retrofit 467 Mountain Hwy. North Vancouver, BC V7J 2L3 Tel: 1 (604) 986 0714 Fax: 1 (604) 986 0334 SNAME Booth 514 Circle 371 on Reader Service Card Proven Gas Generation Systems • 420 Inert Gas Systems! • 150 Nitrogen Systems for Ships! • 40 Nitrogen Systems for Offshore! PERMEAi*! Maritime Protection Permea Maritime Protection, A Division of Air Products A/S P.O. Box 100 Vagsbygd, N-4602 Kristiansand S„ NORWAY Telephone: +47-380-39900 • Telefax: +47-380-11 113 Circle 308 on Reader Service Card Whether w, COVers' SBsfigtew*-. 4 ^SKSbsss^ hat ls '"side Pa"H do not tell CREATIVE SYSTEM* , nc Jv^j)^ CREATORS 0~F G H S Stability Software Products GHS Full-featured hydrostatics BHS Mid-range package BHS/YACHT Yacht designer's package GLM Shipboard trim and stability GHS/SALVAGE Salvage oriented package P.O. Box I9I0 Port Townsend, WA 98368 USA T\*c A TEL (360) 385-6212 FAX (360) 385-6213 Developers of advanced hydrostatics software since 1972. Member Circle 237 on Reader Service Card Maritime Pusnes L i Safety first Emergency Towing Systems fulfil the IMO, OPA 90 and LOOP Regulations. m Aker Maritime Maritime Pusnes AS P.O.Box 102, 4818 Faervik, Norway, Tel +47 37 08 73 00, Fax +47 37 08 65 50 Circle 317 on Reader Service Card 45 </div> <span id="lblContents"></span> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.digitalwavepublishing.com/" title="Digital Magazine">Digital Wave Publishing</a> </BODY>