THE OIL-SPILL SIZE OF TANKER AND BARGE ACCIDENTS - DETERMINANTS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

This paper investigates determinants of the oil cargo spill size of ta nker and tank barge vessel accidents, utilizing detailed data of indiv idual vessel accidents in U.S. waters. The effectiveness of various Co ast Guard enforcement methods are examined as well as the effects of v arious vessel-related factors, the price of oil, and the price of vess el repair. The results suggest that Coast Guard pollution detection ac tivity is effective at the margin in reducing tank barge (but not in r educing tanker) accident spill size and that tanker accident spill siz e is less for U.S. than for foreign flag tankers.