SAFER TRANSPORT OF OIL AT SEA - A SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY FOR NAVAL ARCHITECTS AND MARINE ENGINEERS

To meet the urgent worldwide demand for safer ocean transport of oil w ithin the realistic economic constraints of the shipbuilding and opera ting industry, naval architects and marine engineers confront a major challenge. This paper examines several tanker design alternatives as w ell as the restrictions imposed by both U.S. and international rule ma kers. The benefits of double-bottom/double-hull construction, based on an analysis of comprehensive grounding accident data, are discussed, and measures to limit the outflow of oil in the event of a spill are e xamined. Improved officer and crew training, more precise and up-to-da te navigation/position-keeping systems, enhanced maneuvering capabilit y with collision-avoidance sonar, and better shore-based traffic manag ement of tank ships are among the author's recommendations to achieve the goal of safer transportation of oil at sea.