Oil Tankers

     Oil is a major source of energy in today's society. Because of its uneven distribution throughout the world, it must be transported by the sea (as shown in Figure 1 below) and in pipelines (as shown in Figure 2 below) to areas that don't have oil. The major oil transport occurs on the seas, ports, and rivers, but are not limited to these areas.

Figure 1: A Venezuela-Cuba Oil Tanker

Figure 2: Iran-Iraq Oil Pipeline

     Accidents can occur whenever oil is drilled, stored, handled, refined, transported, and transferred. Some of the biggest spills in history have included those involving the ships Amoco Cadiz, Exxon Valdez (shown in Figure 3 below), and Sea Empress (Burger).  In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This damaged the tankers hull, releasing about 10.9 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Figure 4 below is of an oil sheen from the Exxon Valdez spill. This spill was relatively small, compared to other spills in history, but it had major impacts on the environment and the industry.

Figure 3: Exxon Valdez

Figure 4: Oil Sheen from the Exxon Valdez Spill

     Today, several improvements have been implemented in tanker safety and operations to prevent spills. All personnel working aboard tanker vessels must now be licensed and must routinely engage in safety drills. They are subjected to random drug tests and can only work a prescribed number of hours per day. The tankers are also equipped with GPS that sounds an alarm if the tankers are even 15 feet of course. By 2015, all tankers operating in US waters will be required to have double hulls because of the Oil Pollution Act. The value of the double-hull tankers (shown in Figures 5 and 6 below) in terms of environmental protection has already been demonstrated (Harrison & Testa).

Figure 5: Double Hull Tanker Being Built

Figure 6: The Inside of a Double Hull Tanker

 Works Cited

Burger, Joanna. "Oil Spills." Encyclopedia of World Environmental History. Vol. 3. 2003. 965-68.  

     GreenFILE. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com.hip.mtpl.org:2048/ehost

     /detail?hid=106&sid=10e3db94-091c-4e3a-a23b-af38184518c1%40sessionmgr115&vid=8&

     bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=8gh&AN=20320887>.

Double Hull Tanker Being Built. Photograph. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.schleswig-holstein.de

     /Portal/EN/Economy/Economy_node.html>.

Exxon Valdez. Photograph. Wikipedia. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org

     /wiki/File:Exval.jpeg>.

Harrison, William E., and Stephen M. Testa. "Transporting and Storing Petroleum and Its Products."  

     Petroleum & the Environment. Alexandria, VA: American Geological Institute, 2003. 40-49. Print.

Inside a Double Hull Tanker. Photograph. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.eng.nus.edu.sg

     /core/ongoingproject.htm>.

Iran-Iraq Oil Pipeline. Photograph. Iraq-businessnews.com. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.iraq-

     businessnews.com/2010/05/03/iran-iraq-oil-pipeline-closer-to-construction/>.

Oil Sheen from the Exxon Valdez. Photograph. Wikipedia. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org

     /wiki/File:OilSheenFromValdezSpill.jpg>.

Venezuela-Cuba Inaugurate New Oil Tanker. Photograph. JuventudRebelde.co.cu. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. 

     <http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/international/2009-05-14/venezuela-cuba-inaugurate-new-oil-

     tanker>.