The Impacts of Oil Spill By Italian Tanker Laura Damato on Sydney Waters - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages The paper "The Impacts of Oil Spill By Italian Tanker Laura D’amato on Sydney Waters" is a good example of a Finance & Accounting research paper. Oil spills caused by oil tankers is not a unique phenomenon globally, however, the oil spill by the Laura D’Amato oil tanker in 1999 is the largest incident of the oil spill in the Sydney harbor. The oil spill occurred in the evening between 1826 and 1850 hours on the 3rd of August 1999. 

The oil tanker which measured a length of two hundred and forty-two meters and a beam of forty-two meters had docked to discharge oil in several harbors before. 

Various factors contributed to the oil spill, yet no report has been entirely conclusive on the actual cause of the spill. Among the factors being put across is that cargo escaped through the open sea-chest valves overboard due to the usage of the sea suction line as a cargo pump suction crossover line. Moreover, the ship did not have a way of differentiating express connection to the sea chest to the cargo system. Seals at sea-chest valves may have conceived the staff that sea-chest valves were closed, while the staff failed to check whether sea-chest valves were open or closed at various positions. The oil spill was however contained within the Gore Cove and Balls Head Bay, by a flood tide and a southerly wind; therefore the oil did not spread to the whole harbor.  When the spill was detected, Shell’s Gore Bay Terminal staff immediately responded and as well informed the Sydney Ports Corporation duty operational crew about the occurrence and requested assistance.  The Sydney Ports Corporation duty operational crew responded immediately and reached the site with buoyancy booms and created a form filled fence. The extent of the spill was underestimated by the ship’s master, who gave an approximate ten to fourteen cubic meters. When a formal notification of the spill was made to Sydney Ports Harbour Control, the Harbour controlled implemented a quick emergency call-out procedures.  ...Download file to see next pages Read More