Obviously Representatives Frelinghuysen and LoBiondo have reason to be concerned. Companies are placing the environment at greater risk by delaying the replacement of their old, unsafe single hulls with environmentally safe double-hulled ships. Their tactics include seeking waivers from the Coast Guard that allow the reconfiguration of their vessels in order to extend their OPA 90 phase-out date. Such exceptions place the marine environment at greater risk of oil spills and should be stopped. To their credit, American Heavy Lift, ARCO, Hvide Marine, and Mobile, are the exceptions, and have either taken delivery or placed orders for double-hulled tankers.
Oil spills continue to occur throughout the world.
Since 1989, over 940 million gallons of oil have spilled, or the equivalent of over 85 Exxon Valdez tragedies. Most of these spills have come from single hulled tankers. As long as old, single-hulled tankers remain in U.S. coastal waters, the chances of another catastrophic environmental disaster like the Exxon Valdez continue to increase. In contrast, incidents involving double-hulled tankers have spilled little or no oil. Double hulls are proven oil spill preventers.