Seaborne Petrochemical Spill Analysis Within the United States, 1992–1999 |
| |
Authors: | BENJAMIN L NICHOLSON ANASTASSIOS N PERAKIS JONATHAN W BULKLEY |
| |
Institution: | (1) United States Coast Guard, Office of Congressional Affairs, 6-ICA, 2358 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, USA, US;(2) Department of Naval, Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan, 2600 Draper Road, NAME Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2145, USA, US;(3) Department of Civil and, Environmental Engineering and, School of Natural Resources and, Environment and, Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, 430 East University, Dana Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1115, USA, US |
| |
Abstract: | Through discussion of causative factors and examination of historical data, petrochemical spill prevention in US waters is
reviewed. Unintentional petrochemical outflow is analyzed in a comprehensive manner and presented as a hierarchical sequence
of antecedent events to reveal the trends of causative factors leading to release. Specifically, a seaborne petrochemical
spill is examined in terms of four basic, antecedent events: (1) an underway source, (2) a failure incident, (3) a marine
accident capable of breaching the hull and cargo block, and (4) the onset of outflow. These events are further subdivided
into underlying, contributing events to form a causative framework for spill prevention. While a hierarchical review is not
necessary to uncover the elements of causation, it does provide a comprehensive and logical structure that clearly defines
these elements in terms of occurrence frequency and contribution to resulting outflow. It is found that relatively small,
frequent spills less than 40,000 liters (10,567 gallons), attributable to human operator failures, leading to grounding, and
cargo transfer system failure accidents, dominate US seaborne petrochemical outflow from 1992 to 1999. Given the frequency
of groundings, structural reinforcement regulations such as those contained in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (requiring double
hulls) appear well justified. However, passive restraint systems are secondary to the need for vigilant training and licensing
of tank vessel operators. |
| |
Keywords: | : Oil spills Petrochemical outflow Tank vessel accidents Marine pollution prevention Marine environmental protection |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|