MARAD cancels study questioning double hull wisdom
The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has cancelled a study which sought to question the wisdom of using double hulls for oil tankers, Ship & Bunker reports.
"This solicitation is being cancelled in its entirety at the convenience of the Government," the statement said.
The original project announcement on August 6, 2012 sought to study the safety, economic, and environmental issues of vessels constructed with double hulls.
MARAD acknowledged that the double hulls reduce the threat of oil pollution as a result of grounding, but noting that the double hull requirement has become a worldwide regulation, said "tank vessels worldwide are carrying thousands of extra tons of steel in order to meet the double hull requirements."
That had resulted in a significant increase in the amount of energy needed to propel a vessel it said, requiring more fuel to be used, and increasing pollution into the air.
"It is acknowledged that double hulls can cause several other problems which will be detailed in this study," it said.
The requirement to replace single hull tankers with double hull tank vessels sailing in U.S. waters was manifested as part of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), which was put into place in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989.
While a double hull would not have prevented the spill, a Coast Guard study was reported to have estimated that the Exxon Valdez spill would have lost 60 percent less oil with a double hull.
