SAFETY RELIABILITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Safety Reliability and Risk Management

Safety Reliability and Risk Management

Typical Marine/Offshore Accidents

Many incidents in the past have brought the realization of the impact and consequences a marine incident can have on the environment, industry, people involved and the general public.

The Exxon Valdez and other similar pollution incidents brought to the attention of the public the real fear and results of what can happen in the case of a major oil spill or tanker incident. It was one of the prime driving factors for the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), which today, still has a major impact on the tanker industry. The Mega Borg showed how a ship fire can devastate a vessel and have long lasting results.

The MV New Carrisa is an example of the costs and impact a non-tanker can have to the Owner, P&I and environment.

As a result, there have been many regulatory requirements that have been implemented to help stop, mitigate and/or aid these types of incidents. Probably the most well know is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) and the US Coast Guard regulations that came from this particular piece of legislation.

Exxon Valdez

Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean is an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska. On March 24, 1989, while owned by the former Exxon Shipping Company, and captained by Joseph Hazelwood bound for Long Beach, California, the vessel ran aground on the Bligh Reef resulting in the second largest oil spill in United States history. The size of the spill is estimated at 40,900 to 120,000 m3 (10,800,000 to 32,000,000 US gal), or 257,000 to 750,000 barrels. In 1989, Exxon Valdez oil spill was listed as the 54th largest spill in history. (Pillay 2003 165-178)

At the time of the spill Exxon Valdez was employed to transport crude oil from the Alyeska consortium's pipeline terminal in Valdez, Alaska, to the lower 48 states of the United States. At the time it ran aground, the vessel was carrying about 201,000 m³ (53.1 million gallons of oil). After the spill, the vessel was towed to San Diego, arriving on June 10, 1989, and repairs were started on June 30, 1989. Approximately 1,600 tons of steel were removed and replaced that July, totaling US$30 million of repairs to the tanker. Its single-hull design remained unaltered.

After repairs, Exxon Valdez was renamed Exxon Mediterranean, then SeaRiver Mediterranean in the early 1990s, when Exxon transferred their shipping business to a new subsidiary company, River Maritime Inc. The name was later shortened to S/R Mediterranean, then to simply Mediterranean in 2005. Although Exxon tried briefly to return the ship to its North American fleet, it was prohibited by law from returning to Prince William Sound. It then served in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In 2002, the ship was again removed from ...