Reply #4: More info from LA Times: [View All]

[seafan]

(Also posted this in Environment Forum.)


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spill4dec04,1,3384101.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
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<snip>

When the Greek tanker Athos I began leaking heavy Venezuelan crude into the river the night of Nov. 26, it appeared to be a manageable spill confined to a riverside terminal — just 30,000 gallons, according to estimates.

But authorities now warn that it could be as much as 473,500 gallons, a gooey mess that has spread to 70 miles of shoreline across three states.

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The Athos I is a single-hulled tanker. Federal laws passed after the Exxon Valdez spill required single-hulled ships in the U.S. to be gradually replaced with double-hulled by 2015.


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Federal law limits owners' liability based on a ship's tonnage. In the case of the Athos I, the liability would be about $45 million.

After touring the riverbank this week, U.S. Sens. Jon Corzine and Frank R. Lautenberg, both New Jersey Democrats, said they would introduce a bill next week to abolish such liability caps for single-hulled ships.