Marine Log - November 2008 - (Page 28)

130th ANNIVERSARY SHIPBUILDING ISSUE ICE CLASS TANKERS The Exxon Valdez oil spill leads to questions about ethics In our December 1986 issue, the Exxon Valdez was named one of our Distinctive Ships of the year. Three years later, the 209,000 ton, 987ft oil tanker struck the Bligh Reef, off the Prince William Sound in Alaska, spilling 267,000 barrels of crude oil into the water. In the May 1989 issue of MARINE LOG, Exxon Valdez: America’s Ship of Shame, questions about the ethics of the “merchant marine’s chain of command, management style and ongoing problems with alcohol abuse” were raised. Captain Joseph Hazlewood’s acts on March 24, 1989 brought up the question “What limits should Congress passes OPA 1990 1989 be put on a shipmaster’s power?” and what should a junior officer do, if asked to perform duties he is not licenced or trained to perform. Before the incident, the tradition was to never question the captain. According to Admiral Paul Krinksy, the then superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., “There was no question in the master’s authority.” Captain Bruce W. Strong, a convoy commander for the Navy at the time, concurred with that sentiment, stating, “The master’s word on a merchant ship is law” and “a ship is not a democracy.” Hazlewood left a junior officer to man the wheelhouse while he returned to his room. His blood alcohol level of 0.06—taken nine hours after the accident—meant that at the time of the incident, his alcohol level could have been 0.19. continued on pg 85 After the Exxon Valdez incident there was a great deal of concern over the possibility of future oil spills. In order to address and calm those fears, a piece of legislation, OPA90, was put on the table and later passed. In our July/August 1990 issue of MARINE LOG, in his editorial, editor Nick Blenkey—now our web editor and senior editorial consultant— discussed problems that could arise from what he deemed a “shoddy piece of legislation” which he warned could turn into a disaster. Blenkey stated that, “ultimately, the problem of pollution from tankers can only be solved by the tanker industry” not by Congressmen “playing at naval architects.” He added, that “the fastest way to cut tanker-originated pollution in the U.S. would be to lessen America’s dependence on oil imports,” not a complete U.S. withdrawal from the tanker market. 28 MARINE LOG NOVEMBER 2008 www.marinelog.com http://www.deltatsystems.com http://www.deltatsystems.com http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - November 2008

Marine Log - November 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Looking Back at 130 Years Generation NeXt What's Ahead? Media Kit 2009 Defying the Naysayers Rampant Piracy Takes Shipping Hostage The Last Chapter of the New Carissa International Workboat Show Preview Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events Website Directory ML Buyer's Guide ML Marketplace Marine Salvage

Marine Log - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.