Coast Guard says it's ready for oil spill here
| • | Oil spill could surpass '89 Exxon disaster |
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Oil tankers the size of the one leaking its cargo of 20 million gallons of fuel off the coast of Spain can come close enough to Hawai'i's shores to cause a similar environmental catastrophe.
But the U.S. Coast Guard here said yesterday that it is prepared for such disasters.
"A large spill is possible anywhere," said Lauren Smith, Coast Guard spokeswoman. "But we do have stringent requirements for large vessels to prevent that from happening. Unfortunately, accidents do happen."
Large vessels, even those as big as the double-hulled tanker Exxon Valdez, which released more than 11 million gallons of oil into the waters off Alaska in 1989, can come within 12 miles of the islands.
As part of the heightened security measures after Sept. 11, the Coast Guard escorts all tankers and large vessels into local harbors, Smith said. In addition, large vessels such as oil tankers must follow specific rules to minimize any impact to the environment and ensure the safety of the people on board and on shore.
Coast Guard crew members are trained in large-scale spill cleanup efforts but do not bear sole responsibility for the work. Other agencies are contracted for clean-up work, and the Coast Guard does monitoring to ensure that the work is adequate and complete.
The Clean Islands Council, a consortium of petroleum companies, handles most clean-ups in Hawai'i, Smith said. It is partially financed by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which was put into place after the Exxon Valdez spill, considered one of the worst in modern history.
The last large spill in Hawai'i waters occurred off Kalaeloa in January 2001, threatening the coast of Kaua'i. About 630 gallons spilled when a coupling separated from a transfer hose as the tanker Overseas Chicago was unloading 600,000 barrels of crude through hoses and undersea pipelines to the Tesoro refinery at Kalaeloa.
A Tesoro Hawai'i spill in 1998 spread to Kaua'i, killing dozens of seabirds and some coastal animals after more than 4,500 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean.
A Chevron oil spill that leaked into Pearl Harbor in 1996 released 41,000 gallons of oil into the water.
Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.
