Deepest feelings to all hit by the black tide !
Deepest feelings to all hit by the black tide ! This looks to have the makings of the worst ecological disaster ever! All because these greedy oil bastards want to save shipping costs and use these friggin’ old derelict single hull tankers! My heart goes out to those poor Spainards. Could image this happening on the west coast? End of surfing as we know it for along time.
Additionally, according to one news account, the captain of the tanker wasted precious time in accepting help to get him further offshore because he was bitching about the expense. The Spaniards tossed him in jail.
It takes a lot of smarts when you have twice as much crude on board as the Exxon Valdese and you know the rust bucket is going to break up, to instead of towing inshore and trying to contain the problem in calm water (God knows no body wants a leaky oil tanker in their port) you tow the damn thing 100 miles out to sea so the disaster broadcasts over as wide an area as possible and the small family who’s simple way of life depends on the environment disappears. Brains? Why bother to use them when money’s all that counts!? And who wants to take responsibility for the environment, certainly not some oil barren from a poor third world country that can’t afford a seaworthy vessel to export his product, or can he? It’s still a primitive world we live in despite all the technology. Life eats life, the more of it that’s destroyed the less there is and the quality of it vanishes. It’s all very disheartening, if only being proactive were more part of the human condition we’d be so much better off. `O wau nô me ka mahalo, Rich
Swell and wind forecast predict storm and huge waves in the area: http://polar.wwb.noaa.gov/waves/latest_run/nww3_na.anim.gif I guess it’s more then likely the wreck will break up and with those weather conditions the oil will spread along the coastline. regards, Håvard
Halcyon–Aside from falling off a boat, the last thing one should do is put a boat onto the beach. It seems to me trying to tow it further away from coastal fishing grounds, rather than bring it in closer (so it’s easier to contain? in calm water? yea, right) was a reasonable call. Here’s something from ABC Off The Wire: OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - The sinking of a leaking tanker off Spain triggered what could become one of the world’s worst oil spills, but experts say the distance to the coast and warmth of the water may control the ecological devastation … the distance from land could help because the high seas break up oil slicks before they reach beaches. Are you Hawaiian? Care to supply us with a translation?
Halcyon–Aside from falling off a boat, the last thing one should do is put > a boat onto the beach. It seems to me trying to tow it further away from > coastal fishing grounds, rather than bring it in closer (so it’s easier to > contain? in calm water? yea, right) was a reasonable call.>>> Here’s something from ABC Off The Wire:>>> OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - The sinking of a leaking tanker off Spain > triggered what could become one of the world’s worst oil spills, but > experts say the distance to the coast and warmth of the water may control > the ecological devastation … the distance from land could help because > the high seas break up oil slicks before they reach beaches.>>> Are you Hawaiian? Care to supply us with a translation? Hi Gary, My intent is not to be argumentative and clearly at this late hour there really is no answer. My toughts tell me to attempt to look at things with idea of trying to prevent as much damage as possible. Certainly I’m not saying I think I really have an answer. Port have the perogative of only allowing the vessels the wish to allow in. Thus we have experts. Experts? Yes! We have top men on it,top men! And of course the experts who shall go unnamed. It’s always the easy way out for the press who’s job is to attempt to soften the blow to sell papers. California Fish and Game has been hidding behind their experts, selling their bull for years. They call them environmentalists. It’s simple to just hide the massive mistakes in mismanagement of the Monterey Bay ecosystem by declaring it a Marine Sanctuary after the fishing resource has been destroyed. Who’s going to sue Fish and Game. No one can; they’re like city hall-- these are truely experts and untouchable to boot. In the Atlantic Ocean of the coast of Europe at this point Nature has become the expert and we have no control of what she’ll to do with the oil. Humanity made the mess and should deal with it. It’s too late now. Whatever happens happens. Tow it out to sea and hope – damn we’re primitive! Beaching a tanker, what a horrid thought, I couldn’t agree more. But containment is not even an option on the high seas. There’s no chance of ever pumping the stuff to a safe place now. The area impacted would have to be smaller in calm water than what results from storm driven ocean waves & currents. If you think giving over the circumstance to the mercy of nature is the answer, you’re entitled to your opinion. I support you completely in expressing it. Was there another option; who can say? I wish there was a feasible answer to the horror of a massive rust bucket like this that’s leaking oil. Somehow making and attempt to contain it as soon as possible seems the most proactive course to me but the logistics such an attempt needed to be addressed before the impending storm, which is now arriving, became an insurmountable factor. I cannot think of a more difficult place to facilitate oil spill management on this planet than on the open sea but I’ll be the first to admit I’m no expert. I am deeply sadened by what may happen to the European coastline, and what can I really do but pray for the residents of the Span and Portugal who will be impacted. In answer to your question, no I’m not Hawaiian blood but the heart of surfing will always be. I respect these island people enourmously. I’m just paying the respect due my island brothers who began this magic think Translation is: O wau nô me ka mahalo, [oh vau NOH’ meh kah mah hah’loh] I am, [yours] respectfully, Rich