| Author: Lewis Lowe |
974: METULA
A Shell tanker, the Metula, grounded in the Strait of Magellan, with a 64-million-gallon cargo of crude, more than twice the size of the Torrey Canyon's load. In a remote area noted for adverse sea and weather conditions, the cargo had to be removed to allow the vessel to be re-floated. Three ADAPTS units, along with Coast Guard personnel, were dispatched at the request of the Chilean government and succeeded in removing 50,000 tons of crude from the vessel. ADAPTS also provided pumping for seawater ballast when needed. The vessel was successfully re-floated and later scrapped.
1975: MYSTERY OIL SPILL
Many spills result from deliberately ignoring oil disposal regulations, such as those that require waste oil to be offloaded into designated barges rather than at sea. In July 1975 a mystery spill appeared, damaging the shoreline of south Florida. With no clues except the oil itself, the Coast Guard took comparison samples from vessels in port at the time. More than 200 vessels were checked and 50 samples taken. In October, a match was found and the offending tanker captain was arrested and jailed. The fine was $10,000 plus one year imprisonment for failure to report the spill.
1976: SANSINEN
A poor ventilation procedures during cargo transfer resulted in the explosion of this tank vessel in Los Angeles harbor. The blast threw the deckhouse 750 feet into the air and damaged 260 vessels in the vicinity. CGC Venturous was immediately on the scene, assisting in firefighting, traffic control and oil containment. A nine-foot-thick layer of bunker fuel lay on the bottom around the stern of the vessel and over two miles of containment booms were set up. Three weeks later, most of the oil had been recovered.
1976: ARGO MERCHANT
This Liberian tanker grounded off Nantucket, Mass., in December, carrying 7.3 million gallons of fuel oil. CGCs Sherman, Vigilant, Spar and Bittersweet were on the scene and prepared to use the ADAPTS system on the vessel. However, deteriorating weather, 30-knot winds and heavy seas, prevented removal of its cargo before the hull began to buckle. The bow was wrenched from the hull and opened the cargo to the sea. This was the largest spill up until then in American waters. Northwesterly winds dispersed the oil out to sea. The Argo Merchant accident and 14 more tanker accidents in or near American waters over the next 10 weeks caused great concern about tanker safety, leading to a large tanker safety movement.
1977: GOLDEN JASON
This incident illustrates the preventive aspect of the Coast Guard's oil pollution mission. The vessel, carrying 9.2 million gallons of crude, arrived at Newport News, Va., after developing engine trouble off North Carolina. A Coast Guard inspection revealed serious structural defects in the ship. The cargo was immediately removed and the vessel was scrapped shortly thereafter.
1989: EXXON VALDEZ
On March 24, 1989, the tank vessel Exxon Valdez struck a reef not more than 75 miles from the Alyeska oil terminus of the Trans-Alaska pipeline, in Prince William Sound, Alaska. At the time, the vessel, carrying 53 million gallons of crude, was under the surveillance of the Coast Guard vessel traffic service radar. The ship struck Bligh Reef at a speed of 12 knots, tearing open its hull from forepeak to just forward of the engine room. Its single-skin, high-tensile steel bottom did little to prevent this damage. With eight of its eleven tanks ruptured, more than 10 million gallons of crude oil spilled within five hours. Furthermore, there was the danger that the ship would capsize, making both the cleanup and the removal of the remaining oil imperative. A Coast Guard investigator was dispatched within 30 minutes of the grounding, and several contingency plans went into effect.
Alyeska accepted responsibility for the spill and was, according to the pre-arrangement, to have a barge on site within five hours. Instead, it was 12 hours before the vessel arrived. By then the 10.1 million gallons covered an area four miles long and 1,000 feet wide. This was the largest oil spill ever in American waters. The nature of Prince William Sound compounded the enormity of the disaster. The pristine shoreline was noted for its natural beauty and variety of wildlife. The sound presented a second problem: its remote location. The nearest port, Valdez, had only a small landing strip and limited phone service, forcing large aircraft with cleanup equipment and personnel to land at Anchorage, some nine driving hours away. Twelve-foot tide differentials and rough seas only added to the immediate problem.
The cleanup grew to enormous proportions employing more than 450 vessels of all types and more than 1,800 personnel. Forty skimmers, 300,000 feet of containment booms and 40 aircraft were used (not including Air Force transports). The Coast Guard contingent included four cutters, four buoy tenders, nine aircraft, six ADAPTS units, six skimmers and more than 200 people. CGC Rush provided traffic control for the aircraft involved, and the Coast Guard provided coordination of the effort. By the height of the effort, 750 to 1,000 daily flights were logged at the small Valdez airport. The cargo was completely removed by April 4, and the vessel was re-floated. It was towed away the following day. Deteriorating weather prevented the extensive use of chemical dispersant agents. A second cleanup method, burning off the oil, was also stymied by the weather.
Skimmers were the primary cleanup instruments, and these were severely handicapped by the weathering of the surface oil. It became the consistency of axle grease, clogging hoses, skimmers and transfer pumps. In the end, the disaster was the largest in U.S. history. More than 350 miles of shoreline was coated with oil, causing extensive damage on the ecosystem of Prince William Sound. More than 4,500 birds and nearly 500 otters were killed. Both fishing and tourist industries were severely damaged, and litigation has yet to end. Major legislation resulted from the catastrophe.
1990: MEGA BORG
This Norwegian tanker exploded and burned off the coast of Texas. First on the scene was CGC Cushing, followed by Buttonwood, Point Spencer, Steadfast and Valiant. The commanding officer of Marine Safety Office Galveston headed the regional response team. It was three days before the fire was under control and a full week before it was extinguished. More than 3.9 gallons of crude were spilled. Skimming vessels recovered 350,000 gallons of the oil. Two methods of oil cleanup were used. Aerial-dropped dispersants were used to break up the oil. Bio-remediation was also used. This process involves spreading oil-eating bacteria over the spill. These bacteria converted the oil into a fatty substance that could be eaten by marine life.
OPA 90
One of the major results of the Exxon Valdez spill was the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. In this act, Congress addressed tanker construction, personnel licensing and the emergency rapid-response capability. The act called for mandatory double hulls on new tankers and gradual phasing out of non-complying vessels. The licensing requirements for ship's officers were strengthened in the area of drug and alcohol testing. The rapid-response capability was expanded nationwide, and new emphasis was placed on oil pollution research. The act has given the Coast Guard its single largest legislative tasking in history. The major responsibility is the creation of distant response groups. These will consist of pre-positioned equipment, including booms and skimmers,ready for any emergency in their geographical area.
As the Coast Guard enters its third century of existence, its responsibilities have expanded into areas that could not have been foreseen by its founders. Its early years of conservation duties were certainly sidelights to its main missions, enforcing revenue laws and promoting safety at sea. Now increased concern about the environment promises to continue to make environmental protection one of the most important Coast Guard missions. |
Author Bio:
|
| You can search for this article using: The Coast Guard and the Environment: Significant incidents, Academics & Education |
|
