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The United States ����
Environmental Protection Agency
The Journal of the U.S. EPA Oil Program Center
Volume 5 Number 1
�������� ������ ���� ���� ����� Brazilian divers. The workers
Giant Oil Rig Sinks ................................. 1 had experience in floating sys
Exxon Valdez Oil Still in Alaskan Soil ..... 3 On March 20, 2001, Petrobrás tems operations, vessel stability,
New Oil Cleanup Web Site .................... 4 Platform 36 (P-36) sank into 4,455 and shipbuilding. Their mission
New World Record for the Largest
feet of water, 75 miles off the coast of was to look for missing workers,
Offshore Oil Containment Boom ...... 4
International Pipeline News ................... 4 Brazil, 120 miles northeast of Rio de look for holes that needed to be
Fishing Boats Recover One-Third of Janeiro in the Roncador Field, Cam blocked from incoming water,
Sunken Ship’s Diesel Fuel .................. 5 pos Basin. It all started on March 15, assess actions to drain the
U.S. EPA Oil Program Center when a feed valve malfunctioned, flooded compartments, and help
Infoline ............................................. 5
Documenting the Revival of Sea Grass in causing three explosions. The first determine how to stabilize the
the Patuxent River ............................ 6 explosion occurred at 12:20 a.m. in a platform. There were barges
Jet Planes Harbor New Use for Soybean supporting column. Work was onsite to help with oil retrieval
Oil ..................................................... 6 suspended and fire and emergency and storage if a spill occurred.
Environmental Impacts of Ethanol ......... 7
equipment were brought in. The The main objective was to find
second explosion occurred at 12:24 the missing workers and to
a.m. and workers began to be evacu stabilize the platform. Another
ated to Platform 47, 7.5 miles from team of 30 technicians, including
P-36. The third explosion occurred voluntary engineers, divers from
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about 10 to 15 minutes later while the the Marines, U.S. International
The Oil DROP is an informal workers were still being evacuated. consultants, and Petrobrás
journal, produced twice a year by Of the 175 people on board, 10 were technicians boarded the platform
EPA’s Oil Program Center. The not found and 165 were rescued. An and began sealing gaps. All work
goal of the Oil DROP is to attract additional person was rescued, but occurred above the water line
a broad audience such as the was burned on 98% of his body and because it was impossible to
general public, including concerned
died 7 days later. access the underwater compart
citizens, students and environmen
tal groups, on current develop ments. The team started to inject
ments in news related to oil spills. By 7 a.m., 24 people had boarded the nitrogen and compressed air to
The Oil DROP covers oil spills in vessel to help investigate the situation; expel accumulating water from
the United States and throughout they were soon evacuated due to the the submerged areas. Smit, a
the world, with an emphasis on the instability of the platform. Twelve Dutch company specializing in
effects these spills have on wildlife vessels were deployed to help control water drainage, provided 11
and ecosystems. The Oil DROP the emergency. One of the vessels technicians and 50 tons of
is available on the Oil Program used was a fire fighter that directed equipment to the recovery effort.
homepage at www.epa.gov/ jets of water onto the platform. Their equipment, consisting of
oilspill.
On March 16, divers were sent to the suction pumps and hoses, was
tilting structure to determine the flown into Rio de Janeiro Interna
damage underwater. Three Petrobrás tional Airport, and was then
engineers volunteered to go aboard transported by a convoy of
the vessel, accompanied by two trucks escorted by eight military
2
police vehicles to Macaé, the rig’s before, due in large part to the holes areas continued to be sealed
land base. Three hundred men in the compartments being sealed throughout the night.
from the Navy’s First Naval and the nitrogen pumping. There
District were brought in to help were efforts being made to make a On day five, March 20, at 2:30
also. The Navy also provided a larger area of the platform acces a.m., the platform shifted suddenly
patrol boat, troop carrier, deep-sea sible and to access the areas where and all repair and recovery person
tug, and a helicopter. Petrobrás it was believed that the still missing nel were removed. By 10:45 a.m.,
Platform 23 has moved to the site bodies might be found. P-36 had sank irreversibly. It
to provide a base for operations. wasn’t until 11:30 p.m. that the
On day four, the platform sank 16 first oil spill was detected, possibly
By day three of the rescue and inches in 12 hours, because there from the 21 pipelines to underwa
recovery operations, the platform were still openings feeding water ter wells or the crude oil and diesel
was listing 2 degrees less than into other compartments. Those stored on the rig. The Petrobrás
Courtesy of the Estado de São Paulo.
USEPA Oil DROP
October 2001
3
Environmental Contingency Plan classified as
had nine recovery vessels on site “fully recov
from the beginning to recover or ered” (the
disperse any oil that was spilled. river otter and
These vessels were equipped with the bald
3.6 miles of barriers and recovery eagle).
and dispersal equipment. Hanging in the
balance are a
P-36 was the largest production variety of
platform in the world that had the other key
capabilities to produce 180,000 players in the
barrels of crude oil a day. It was food chain:
built in Italy in 1994 as a drilling the common
platform, then rebuilt in Canada in loon, three
Extent of oiled coastline.
1998 as a production platform. species of
Production on the rig started in May cormorants, harbor seals, killer
The effect of the cleanup efforts
2000, less than a year before it whales, and a variety of fish species
has also impacted the ecosystem.
sank. The platform was equivalent ranging from the cutthroat to the
Intense scrubbing and scrapping
to 40 stories high, weighed 31,400 Pacific herring.
actions, coupled with thermal
tons, and was capable of water
treatment of the rocks and the
depths of 4,460 feet. When the tanker Exxon Valdez ran
introduction of “oil-eating” mi-
aground on March 24, 1989, some
crobes, destroyed much of the
Petrobrás was faced with a $8.9 10.8 million gallons of crude oil
aquatic life whose habitat was in
million fine by Brazil’s environmen were expelled into Prince William
the intertidal zone. These effects,
tal agency that covered the P-36 Sound. The impact of the oil was
in turn, were reflected up the food
accident, spilling some 312,000 felt up to 1,300 miles southeast of
chain as adequate supplies of food
gallons of oil and another accident the site. Despite extensive efforts
dwindled. Harbor Seal populations
on April 12 that spilled approxi by the citizens of the region and
have fallen at an annual rate of five
mately 6,800 gallons of crude oil coordinating agencies, the cleanup
percent from 1989 to 1997. The
into the sea. Petrobrás had to pay efforts have not fully rectified the
Sound was also frequented by six
another $890,000 for inappropri situation. Upon returning to the site
pods of killer whales. One particu
ately using detergents to break up during a 1993 survey, crews found
lar pod, which numbered at 36
oil in one of the spills. hundreds of significant oil deposits
whales prior to the spill, lost 14 in
along the beach. Cleanup efforts
the years since, and has only had a
Exxon Valdez Oil Still in only removed surface oils, remov-
net gain of 3 individuals since the
Alaskan Soil ing 14 percent of the oil according
spill.
to a 1992 NOAA study. Another
It has been more than 12 years 13 percent sunk to the ocean floor,
since the infamous Exxon Valdez oil and a great majority of the oil either
spill on Bligh Reef, some 25 miles evaporated or dispersed into
south of Valdez, Alaska. However, the water column where it
the effects are still prominent. degraded naturally. Two
There is much debate between percent, or 216,000 gallons,
interested parties regarding the remained on the beaches just
status of the environment in the below the surface under
region. Exxon claims that the area rocks and overburden.
is fully recovered, yet hard evidence Winter storms constantly
seems to prove otherwise. Only 2 rearrange the coastline,
of the 23 species listed as damaged exposing deposits that
by direct cause of the oil spill are require subsequent cleanup.
Fate of the 10.8 million gallons spilled from the Exxon Valdez.
USEPA Oil DROP
October 2001
4
New Oil Cleanup Web Site the site, including a
word search, location
A new oil spill web site has been search, or through an
created recently on the World Wide e-mail inquiry.
Web, and can be found at
www.cleanupoil.com. Known as This site was created
the International Directory of Oil because of the need
Spill Cleanup Contractors and for updated response
Response Organizations, the site information gathered
provides updated information on at one location for
oil spill contractors and cleanup information in a hurry. Record-breaking RO-BOOM 3500.
equipment at over 1,000 service The site hopes to reduce cost by boom survived without significant
centers in over 40 countries. The putting users in direct contact with damage. It has an overall deflated
directory was created by Stewart the contractors, provide a self- width of 3.5 meters, an operational
Ellis of Norfolk, Virginia. After sustaining database of contacts, freeboard of 1.3 meters and a draft
working in the oil spill industry for reduce response times by putting of 1.5 meters. It was honored in
more than 20 years, Ellis realized people in contact with equipment an entry in the Guinness Book of
the need for up-to-date informa closest to their area, and provide World Records for largest offshore
tion. The site contains information contacts for joint ventures. EPA containment boom.
on oil spill equipment, bulletin does not endorse contractors,
boards, links to other sites, and products, or other information International Pipeline News
contact information. provided on this website.
Blast Causes Oil Spill in
The oil spill equipment link New World Record for the Yemen
provides detailed information on Largest Offshore Oil
different types of equipment used Containment Boom On June 28, 2001, Yemeni tribes-
for various needs including rapid men blasted a hole in a pipeline
response and long term responses, New records have been set operated by Hunt Oil Company, of
inexpensive options, and recovery recently in offshore oil boom Dallas, Texas, spilling 10,000
for different oil types. It also containment. Ro-Clean Desmi of barrels of oil. This was the second
includes equipment for uses in Denmark, a producer of oil spill attack in a month on the pipeline,
many different locations and spill combating devices, released to the which has been a target of dis
situations such as tidal, fast market the RO-BOOM 3500. gruntled tribesmen trying to force
flowing, and shallow waters, and Earmarked as the pinnacle of the government to improve local
floating oil or oil that clings to offshore boom development, the services. The pipeline carries oil
objects. The bulletin board is boom has displayed its capabilities from the Safer field in the Marib
available to post messages. Re in the Norwegian sector of the province 100 miles northeast of
cently posted messages included North Sea during a three-year San’a, the capital of Yemen, to the
requests for information on period. In one test, 95 cubic port of Ras Isa on the Red Sea.
contractors, and information on meters of oil were released, and The oil field produces 165,000
training courses and workshops. RO-BOOM contained 95% of the barrels of oil a day.
There is also a section that pro test oil, which was measured at a
vides links to other Web sites for thickness of 14 cm at the boom Thieves Break Pakistan
more information of related wall. During oil sweeping tests, Pipeline
interest. The site includes links to the RO-BOOM 3500 contained oil
industry associations, other at speeds of up to 1.3 knots. The Pak-Arab Refinery Limited oil
discussion groups, oil spill news, During conditions of long-term company (PARCO) found their
health and safety issues, and towing, the RO-BOOM 3500 was main pipeline broken in the
publications of interest. There are towed for two weeks in the winter Sehwantaluka area on July 12,
many ways to find information on through swells of 23 feet. The 2001. Thieves broke the pipeline
USEPA Oil DROP
October 2001
5
at a point located six kilometers prevention and response through its
from the Bajara police check post One reason for the increased Internet web site (www.epa.gov/
with the help of heavy machinery. recovery percentage in this year’s oilspill). This information serves as
spill is more modern technology a resource for businesses that are
Fishing Boats Recover such as new spill containment subject to oil spill regulations,
One-Third of Sunken boom and a new skimmer, the emergency personnel that respond
Ship’s Diesel Fuel Valdez Star, which is working to oil spills, students, teachers, and
better than expected. But even the general public. One of the most
At about 10:50 a.m. on Saturday, more important are the fishermen popular features of the web site is
August 4, 2001, the Windy Bay who are now better trained and the e-mail infoline (www.epa.gov/
tender vessel was heading south equipped for cleanups. One such oilspill/comment.htm or
about 400 yards east of Olsen fisherman, Skipper Megan oilinfo@epa.gov). This feature
Island in the Prince William Sound. Corazza, pulled in $2,350 worth of allows the public to contact OPC
Tender vessels normally take the oil the Tuesday after the spill. Her personnel to ask specific questions
catch from fishermen and deliver it boat is one of the 19 that halted that may not be answered
to shore, which is what the 180-foot fishing in order to aid in the elsewhere on the web site. People
Windy Bay was attempting to do cleanup effort. In addition to being who do not have access to Internet
when it struck a submerged ledge registered with the spill cleanup can reach the infoline voice mail
and sank into 1,000 feet of water, group at the oil terminal in Valdez, system at 1-800-424-9346.
disgorging its entire 35,000-gallon Corazza and her boat crew are
fuel supply into surrounding waters. trained in spill response. OPC staff respond to approximately
Ralph Hansen, co-owner of the 70-90 public inquiries each month.
vessel from Sumner, Washington Despite the intense cleanup efforts, They provide answers to oil facility
said skipper Doug Elden, who was vibrant sheens can still be seen owners and technical professionals
commanding the boat at the time of wrapped around the Sound’s rocky regarding oil spill regulations, offer
the incident, simply misjudged his heads and curled into its coves. information to concerned citizens
position, hit a rock, and sank. “It Diesel arrived on shore of at least about how to report a suspected
doesn’t take a lot of misjudgment to four islands and one merganser spill, provide information on the
hit something in Prince William duck covered in oil has been environmental impacts of oil spills,
Sound,” says Hansen. recovered. Sea life such as endan and respond to requests for data
gered Steller sea lions and hump- about oil spills. Many of the
Since the 1989 Exxon Valdez back whales were spotted swim questions submitted to the OPC
disaster, this has been the largest ming in the diesel sheens. As the through oil spill infoline are from
spill in Prince William Sound. spill expanded due to tides and students and teachers seeking
Recovery of spilled fuel from the wind, the recovery effort slowed. information for classroom and
Windy Bay was about 30 percent Cleanup continued, but with fewer science fair projects dealing with oil
compared to an estimated 3 to 13 boats and less boom. Workers spills. OPC staff are pleased to
percent recovery from the Exxon walking the beaches were assessing have the opportunity to respond to
Valdez. However, the comparison fuel amounts that reached shore as questions from interested individu
is hardly just, considering 35,000 well as searched for dead or injured als.
gallons is only a tiny fraction of the wildlife. Containment booms
11 million gallons spilled in 1989. protecting oyster farms and a Typical questions answered through
In the Exxon Valdez disaster, there hatchery north of the spill remained the infoline include items such as:
was inadequate spill response in place.
equipment and a confused recovery • What would be an environmen
effort. In comparison, a local U.S. EPA Oil Program
tally conscious method of
citizens watchdog group, fishermen, Center Infoline cleaning crude oil from a beach?
and authorities are all calling this a • Can you provide or direct me to
successful spill recovery. The EPA’s Oil Program Center information on biological oil
(OPC) offers a variety of clean-up agents?
information about oil spill
USEPA Oil DROP
October 2001
6
• I am doing a high school science ning with a revival of the sea grass. Jet Planes Harbor New
experiment involving oil spills. A wetsuit clad scientist walks down Use for Soybean Oil
Can you provide me with a dock carrying an ordinary cooler.
examples of how to demonstrate His mission is to plant the grassy Soybean oil has been successfully
or simulate an oil spill in a foliage in his cooler as part of a used to power cars, buses, and
classroom laboratory environ $670,000 restoration project. The boats. A new use has emerged as
ment? goal is to restore 63 acres of researchers at the federal
• How are wildlife oiled during an degraded aquatic ecosystem at the government’s Agricultural Re-
oil spill incident rehabilitated? mouth of the Patuxent River with search Service have found a way
• Is it true that vegetable and the contents of the cooler, a plant to blend the bean-based oil with jet
cooking oils are also regulated by the name of eelgrass. If the fuel.
by the EPA? planted eelgrass survives, it will Inspecting soybean oils that have been winterized.
• What oil regulations apply to provide increased habitat for
transfer facilities? What regula shellfish, in particular, oysters. As
tions apply to marinas? oysters filter the water to feed, they
• Does the professional engineer gradually help clear the water,
that certifies my facility’s Spill boosting the light levels available
Pollution Control and Counter- for eelgrass growth. With purer
measures (SPCC) Plan have to water and increased vegetation,
be licensed in the state my scientists hope to foster a habitat
facility is located in? for fish and birds.
Documenting the Revival Along with their usual business of
of Sea Grass in the science, the lab group has an even
Patuxent River larger goal of documenting the
restoration process. Although
Barren muddy bottoms now found scientists have thoroughly docu
in some regions of the Chesapeake mented the degradation of the
Bay make it difficult to imagine the environment through human
lush aquatic fields of sea grasses activities, the ability to help heal Supporters of biodiesel technology
that once flourished throughout the ecosystems remains difficult to cite payoffs such as cleaner air,
clear waters. The delicate ecosys evaluate. Equipped with state-of- larger profits for U.S. soybean
tem of the Chesapeake Bay has the-art underwater cameras to growers, and a decreased national
been hit hard by development capture the secret lives of the dependency on foreign oil imports.
within the watershed as chemical eelgrass habitats, the scientists will
and nutrient rich runoff into the post live images on the Internet for Biodiesel components can come
water increased drastically over the public access to the project. from renewable sources such as
past century. To combat this soybeans, sunflowers, canola, and
change, a new frontier of scientific Although government-funded cottonseeds. In addition, waste
research is developing, involving projects like this one are leading the products like fryer oils and cooking
the restoration of ecosystems way, private industries are now grease, as well as beef tallow and
disturbed by human activities. investing millions per year in pork lard, can be used. However,
restoration ecology. Corporations drawbacks and limitations to
Some scientists at the Chesapeake are researching better technologies biodiesel use in jet aircraft exist. A
Biological Laboratory, headquar to clean up environmental spills and spill of these non-petroleum oils
tered at Solomons Island, part of ways to build in sensitive environ could affect local wildlife by
the University of Maryland’s ments. On one project alone, the coating animals’ fur and feathers
Center for Environmental Science, cleanup of an oil spill at a former causing suffocation, starvation, and
are working to restore a pristine plant near the Patuxent River, the freezing. Biodiesel fuels can also
image of the Chesapeake, begin Potomac Electric Power Company cause oxygen depletion in water
has spent over $60 million.
USEPA Oil DROP
October 2001
7
leading to fish kills, and they can additive. Ethanol is a natural, when the chemical is used as an
contaminate drinking water sup- biodegradable, renewable resource. additive, emissions of nitrogen
plies. In the face of a limited supply of oxides increases. These nitrogen
oil, and such tragic oil spills as the oxide molecules are responsible for
Biodiesel also has one serious Jessica tanker leak, the prospect of the reddish-brown haze of smog,
technical problem - the behavior of its use is very appealing. acid rain, and the formation of
the bean oil at low temperatures. ozone, a dangerous respiratory
Using biodiesel fuel blends that One of the most pressing applica irritant. Also, opponents are
have not been “winterized” could tion of ethanol is its use as a concerned that the ethanol-blended
limit a jet’s ability to fly at high gasoline additive. Each ethanol fuel will evaporate more easily,
altitudes, where cold temperatures molecule contains a high ratio of especially on hot summer days.
can cause crystal formation, oxygen by weight, and, for this Evaporated gasoline is chemically
blocking fuel filters and plugging of reason, it is used as an “oxigenate.” altered by elements of smog to
fuel lines. Research continues and In the presence of oxygen, most produce particulates and amplify
steps have been made to develop an hydrocarbons (the simplest compo ozone production.
appropriate winterizing process for nents of gasoline, molecules formed
biodiesel fuel. In fact, in 1999, the from carbon and hydrogen only) Just as natural gas contains a foul-
Federal Aviation Administration are combusted completely into smelling additive to help people
certified a fuel for piston driven water and harmless carbon dioxide. detect leaks, ethanol intended for
aircraft containing biodiesel. This However, when oxygen is not as fuel has a sulphurous compound
fuel contains 85 percent ethanol, a abundant, some incomplete com added to distinguish it from alcohol
high-octane petroleum product, and bustion may occur, leading to the intended for consumption. How-
an agriculturally derived biodiesel dangerous gas carbon monoxide. ever, as guidelines concerning
for lubrication. Look for the Many states have regulations sulfur in gasoline become more
certification of more biodiesel fuels concerning allowable levels of restrictive, this additive may
in the future. carbon monoxide produced in become a problem.
engine exhaust. The oxigenate
Environmental Impacts of methyl tertiary butyl ether Another concern lies in the trans
Ethanol (MTBE), which was until recently portation of ethanol-enriched fuel.
a favorite additive for lowering As it passes through the large
There’s little doubt that the impend carbon monoxide, is being banned network of fuel pipelines, ethanol
ing necessity for energy solutions is in many states following several in the blended fuel separates in the
not a trivial issue, nor is it a simple high profile incidents in which the presence of moisture. For this
one to understand. As has been the non-biodegradable compound reason, it is better to ship the pure
case since energy concerns were leaked from tanks into nearby ethanol separately by truck and mix
brought to the public’s attention water supplies. With MTBE’s it into the gasoline at the point of
several decades ago, the different shortcoming fresh in mind, ethanol distribution. However, this results
sources of energy each have their seems to be the ideal alternative. in an increase in transportation
positive sides, as well as potentially Ethanol degrades very quickly and costs, which is likely to be passed
harmful aspects. Hydroelectric does not pose a groundwater down to the consumer.
dams, for example, were once contamination threat.
touted as being the ultimate in As is the case with most energy
“clean” energy. Now, many dams However, not everyone is pleased sources having both positive and
are being removed as their impact with the idea of ethanol additives in negative aspects, the benefits must
on the waterways and the inhabiting gasoline. Like many other sources be carefully weighed before ethanol
fauna are reevaluated. of energy, ethanol may have several becomes a component of all
negative impacts along with the gasoline.
A current issue for regulators to desired effect. Opponents of
handle is whether ethanol should be ethanol have noted that, while
used as either a fuel or a gasoline carbon monoxide emissions drop
USEPA Oil DROP
October 2001
United States Beatriz Oliveira, Editor,
Environmental Protection Agency Oil Program Center
703/603-1229
OSWER
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response David Lopez, Director
Oil Program Center 5203G Oil Program Center
703/603-8760
EPA 540-N-01-007 Ariel Rios Building
OSWER 9360.8-34 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
October 2001 Mail Code 5203G
Washington, D.C. 20460
United States
First-Class
Environmental Protection Postage and Fees Paid
Agency (5203G) EPA
Washington, DC 20460 Permit No. G-35
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300