TECHNOLOGY, MARPOL AND TANKERS--SUCCESSES AND FAILURES

Many people today see the marine transport of oil as a significant threat to the environment, a perception developed from the widely publicized spills from EXXON VALDEZ and the KHARG 5, and from other smaller incidents. These concerns are heightened in some quarters by the realization that for many years to come, the tanker industry will be using, a fleet of ships built mainly in the 1970s. There is a common misconception that an old ship is an unsuitable ship, whereas the truth is not as simple as that. The object of this paper is to identify the sources and causes of pollution from tankers, demonstrate what progress has already been made toward eliminating them and suggest ways in which the industry should respond in order to satisfy public concern about its image. Marine technology has an important role to play in ensuring a successful future for the industry, and the paper examines some of its successes and failures. Major legislative changes in the USA are imminent, and there is a strong possibility that they will require double bottoms or double hulls at some point in the future. Such a move would not eliminate all the sources of pollution that are identified in the sections of the paper, and many of the comments made are just as valid for double-hulled tankers.

Media Info

  • Features: References;
  • Pagination: 8p.+discuss.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00661480
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Maritime Technical Information Facility
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jul 21 1994 12:00AM