Another oil spill

Upton · #1 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 05:46 PM

That oil sure is great stuff. Responsible for death and destruction, directly and indirectly, all over the world.

Quote:

Ships Collide, Oil Spills Off Korean Coast
Estimated 2.7 Million Gallons Of Crude Threatens Beach Used As Rest Stop For Birds

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 7, 2007

(AP) South Korea's Coast Guard dispatched dozens of ships Friday to prevent crude oil that leaked from a supertanker from reaching an ecologically sensitive shoreline on the country's west coast.

About 66,000 barrels (2.7 million gallons) of crude oil gushed from the 146,000-ton Hong Kong-registered tanker after a crane-carrying vessel slammed into it Friday morning, the Coast Guard said.

Strong winds and prevailing currents meant oil was expected to start washing up on shore by Saturday morning, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Maritime authorities set up a special fence 5 miles in length to try and contain the oil, the statement said.

The slick was 4.6 miles long and 1.2 miles wide, the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry said.

The size of the leak appeared to be about one-fourth that of the 260,000 barrels, or 11 million gallons, of oil spilled into Alaska's Prince William Sound by the Exxon Valdez in 1989.

The site of the accident was about 7 miles off Mallipo beach, approximately 93 miles southwest of Seoul.

The region is popular for scenic beaches, including Mallipo. It is also home to a national maritime park and an important refueling stop for migratory birds.

The accident occurred at 7:10 a.m. (1710 Eastern Thursday), the Coast Guard said. Cho Sung-won, a regional Coast Guard spokesman, said the leak was stopped at around noon.

The spill was believed to be South Korea's largest, according to the Coast Guard and the Maritime Ministry. A spill in 1995, previously considered the largest, happened when about 5,035 tons - about 35,000 barrels - of crude and fuel oil leaked.

The Coast Guard said that 47 ships and four helicopters were involved in the operation.

The tanker, the Hebei Spirit, and the other vessel, owned by South Korea's Samsung Corp., were in no danger of sinking, the Coast Guard said. There were no human casualties in the accident, it said.

The tanker was at anchor, carrying about 260,000 tons of crude oil - or about 1.8 million barrels - when the accident happened.

The 1995 leak, which occurred in July, caused an estimated 73.5 billion won, which at today's exchange rates is equal to $80 million, in damage.

Ships Collide, Oil Spills Off Korean Coast, Estimated 2.7 Million Gallons Of Crude Threatens Beach Used As Rest Stop For Birds - CBS News

36shadow · #2 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upton

That oil sure is great stuff. Responsible for death and destruction, directly and indirectly, all over the world.

Ships Collide, Oil Spills Off Korean Coast, Estimated 2.7 Million Gallons Of Crude Threatens Beach Used As Rest Stop For Birds - CBS News

You sure do put your foot in your mouth a lot. Unless of course you walk to work or school. Light your house with candles etc etc. you are part of the problem according to your own words.

Still Dizzy · #3 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upton

That oil sure is great stuff. Responsible for death and destruction, directly and indirectly, all over the world.

You are right. Think I will fill the car up, and drive to a protest.

CrankyYankee · #4 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 06:41 PM

There are many of promising alternatives, if we had the foresight to pursue them in the same fashion we did space flight...

36shadow · #5 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrankyYankee

There are many of promising alternatives, if we had the foresight to pursue them in the same fashion we did space flight...

We have the foresight just not the American based manufacturing and research. And both parties talk big but are both full of shit guess they are being lobbied by big power. I recently went online to search for govt. both local and fed. to see what kind of tax break or grants they gave to convert my house to solar. I researched my area and adress found solar to be realy good but wind not realy great. So then I went online to find out what size of system I would need. You know panels etc.. See I don't want batteries just a direct grid. That means the power I don't use from my panels will go back to the power company and they pay me for it. But if I use enough of there power during my non sun times then my extra pays for what I use of theirs. The system is outrageous though about 100,000 and they don't offer you shit to make you want to undergo such a relatively easy but expensive project. If the feds spent as much as they do in just one year for foreign aid to equip houses in areas with alternative power. Hell in less than 5 years we could drop our dependance on foreign energy. We need an american based company that manufactures and sells solar systems at low cost, they would make a killing and for a change by doing something good for america and the enviorment.

Tokenconservative · #6 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 07:55 AM

How on earth did our Mother, the Earth, deal with all the natural oil spills that used to occur before humans came along and took that job over?

Tokie

Tokenconservative · #7 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 36shadow

We have the foresight just not the American based manufacturing and research. And both parties talk big but are both full of shit guess they are being lobbied by big power. I recently went online to search for govt. both local and fed. to see what kind of tax break or grants they gave to convert my house to solar. I researched my area and adress found solar to be realy good but wind not realy great. So then I went online to find out what size of system I would need. You know panels etc.. See I don't want batteries just a direct grid. That means the power I don't use from my panels will go back to the power company and they pay me for it. But if I use enough of there power during my non sun times then my extra pays for what I use of theirs. The system is outrageous though about 100,000 and they don't offer you shit to make you want to undergo such a relatively easy but expensive project. If the feds spent as much as they do in just one year for foreign aid to equip houses in areas with alternative power. Hell in less than 5 years we could drop our dependance on foreign energy. We need an american based company that manufactures and sells solar systems at low cost, they would make a killing and for a change by doing something good for america and the enviorment.

LOL.

I love this sort of stuff....so you are a good steward of our Mother, the Earth, but ONLY if government will give you a tax break to be such?

Or, better...if the local power company agrees to buy up any extra power you produce at your mini-generator at home?

Hmmm....I've been screamed at for decades now that I need to "DOOOO SOOMEETTTHINNNNGGGGG!!!!" about reducing my "carbon footprint" and whatnot, but nobody has ever offered me one thin dime to do so. In fact, if I am stupid enough to do curbside recycling, I have to pay a PREMIUM to my trash hauler for them to take valuable aluminim and plastic and paper away.

What sort of mindless fool does this?

Well..not THIS mindless fool.

Tokie

Tokenconservative · #8 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrankyYankee

There are many of promising alternatives, if we had the foresight to pursue them in the same fashion we did space flight...

I guess you'll have to refresherate my memory: when the US was switching from horses to internal combustion, other than surfacing roads at public expense (after a while) were the American car mfg's and oil producers a part of some sort of government program akin to the Space Program?

Tokie

Tokenconservative · #9 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Still Dizzy

You are right. Think I will fill the car up, and drive to a protest.

Well see...you think small.

Either that, or you are not a wealthy Left Coast lib.

You need to have your driver fuel up the Suburban, drive to the private airport, have the crew fuel your Gulfstream and FLY to where the protest is being held.

Make sure your people call ahead and have a rental Pious...er, Prius waiting for you.

There will be cameras at the protest, y'know!

Tokie

Tokenconservative · #10 (**permalink**) 12-09-2007, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 36shadow

You sure do put your foot in your mouth a lot. Unless of course you walk to work or school. Light your house with candles etc etc. you are part of the problem according to your own words.

LOL!

I remember having this argument with a 60s-era "environmentalist" once. She and her hubby were big into "ecologically sound practices" and into backpacking.

Once, at her house (we were members of a professional group that did round-robin meetings) she was showing off her new backpack.

Some big expensive thing made out of ...nylon over a painted aluminum alloy frame.

I feigned interest (actually it was a nice rig) stroked it admiringly and asked, innocently "so you made this yourself out of hemp you grew in the backyard and aluminum you smelted from pop and beer cans you collected from the highway?"

She just sort of glared at me.

I wonder why?

Tokie