OIL SPILLS: Extreme Spill Technology to locate in Penobsquis, NB

Image via WikipediaThe Bay of Fundy is wide open to an oil spill catastrophe because of the ship traffic, in particular the oil tankers entering Saint John. Since oil spills are almost always the result of human error they cannot be eliminated even by building the safest facilities. Turbulent weather, fog and fast currents increase the risk.

The whole world for the past forty years has been using the same oil spill mitigation technology that was largely developed in the 1970's. Most people don't realize that these techniques and equipment have never worked on any ocean, much less a dangerous body water like the Bay of Fundy. The worldwide average for successful oil spill recovery is 0-5%. In fact, the oil spill technology is so inadequate that the Canadian Coast Guard only requires that it function in Force 4 conditions (Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved). This is called a perfect day on the Bay of Fundy.

The BP spill last year demonstrated the world's experts giving it their best shot, backed by unlimited funding. BP spent $8 billion on skimming and cleaning with over 1,000 skimmer vessels and 48,000 workers. They recovered 3% of the oil. In-situ burning (polluting) processed 5% of the oil and created havoc with marine life destroyed in the fires. Dispersants "processed" about 8% and created a toxic sludge that coated the bottom. In-situ burning and dispersants are acts of desperation, not solutions. The industry has no idea how to remove the oil from the sea so they do things that would land them in jail in any other situation. What happened last year in the Gulf of Mexico is what's in store for the Bay of Fundy, only far worse because our northern waters are fierce in comparison.

The current situation of equipping a large tug or escort ship with conventional equipment is unworkable. This video shows what happened in Norway in July, 2009 when a small, empty cargo ship spilled its fuel oil. 200 km of coastline was wrecked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHqjgmUL-Po . The ship could handle a hurricane but the oil spill equipment costing over $1 million could only handle a millpond. Another excellent video can be seen here http://www.iprizecleanoceans.org/ .

There is one way we can now improve the situation. Extreme Spill Technology (EST) has developed oil skimming ships suitable for rough seas and fast currents. The Canadian Coast Guard considers it the first truly innovative approach in forty years. Escort tugs in Saint John based on the EST 70m skimmer ship could react immediately to an oil spill even in bad weather. Details can be seen here http://www.spilltechnology.com/news.html . EST will soon be manufacturing at a new facility in Penobsquis, NB.

David Prior
CEO, Extreme Spill Technology
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Beijing, China
Mobile: (902) 441-8284 / China 136 6135 9474
http://spilltechnology.ca <http://spilltechnology.ca/>


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OIL SPILLS: Experts in handling spills question preparedness in the Bay of Fundy.

David Prior has returned to the Maritimes to push development of oil spill technology on the east coast. He recently returned from involvement in the Gulf of Mexico and China.



Links Provided by David Prior

http://www.spill-international.com/news/id459-Senator_Demands_Supertanker_Action_Plans.html
www.spill-international.com
www.gim-international.com, www.hydro-international.com, www.waterlink-international.com, www.spill-international.com, www.electronic-chart.com
http://www.spilltechnology.com/news.html


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Gulf Oil Spill Unlikely to Directly Impact the Bay of Fundy ...BUT ...

If it wasn't so sad, it would be laughable. New Brunswick's Minister of Fisheries, Rick Doucet is rushing off to The Gulf of Mexico to add his inestimable talent to that disaster and is, according to the local papers, taking the lead on a "summit" that the Gulf of Maine Council has had underway for a long time now anyway ... sounds like a pre-election move and photo-op to me.

Unfortunately, the forces that are currently at work are huge and way beyond the talents of our farcical politicians and their driven by "profit" friends and, perhaps, beyond the scope of common sense and our collective ability to stop the insane destruction of our tiny blue planet..

So let's take it one point at a time.

The Gulf Oil Spill

NASA satellite photo.

Ocean oil drilling is going on around the world and is being opened up more and more in the offshore, Arctic and other sensitive areas. Driven by our greed, we are destabilizing our world at an alarming rate and setting in play forces that we do not totally understand ... all in the name of "profit" and under the excuse of feeding our "essential" energy needs. The Gulf oil spill is only one example of our continuing rape of our precious finite Eden as we rapidly turn it into a potential Hell.

Did you know that there have been over 50, 000 bore holes and wells poked into the ocean bottom in the Gulf of Mexico? And there has been ongoing leakage through the years?

But the current accident is truly enormous and spectacular with experts estimating losses of 35,000 to 60,000 barrels per day ... at the upper limit, that’s 2.5 million gallons of oil per day (Politico.com)

So, it's well established that massive quantities of oil are entering the marine system. But is this oil likely to flow north to the Bay of Fundy?

Gulf Oil and the Bay of Fundy

Circulation in the North Atlantic is dominated by the Gulf Stream, a surface current that brings warm waters of the Caribbean northeastward to bathe the coast of Europe. Because of this, Western Europe is much warmer than other parts of the world at the same latitude.

 University of Maryland

Atlantic circulation is driven by cold saline arctic waters. These spill off the floor of the shallow Arctic Ocean into the basin of the deep Atlantic, sinking rapidly and creating "suction" at the surface.

When they do this, warm surface waters from farther south rush northward to fill the space left by the cold arctic waters. By this means, the warm tropical Gulf Stream is pulled north (University of Maryland).


Although the Gulf Stream moves back and forth somewhat as it flows to Europe and it does influence the climate at the southern tip of Nova Scotia, it does not flow into the Bay of Fundy and, as DFO scientists have recently indicated, there should be little concern about the spill itself flowing to the Bay or onto coastal Nova Scotia in the immediate future. But as the components disperse within the ocean itself, we may well see local evidence of this disaster.


However, in the immediate future, our natural wealth here in the Bay of Fundy depends on the marine life that migrates back and forth each spring and fall. And that wealth will soon be moving south directly into the path of the the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The consequences of this may be catastrophic for those organisms and our future.


In a very few weeks, fish, birds and whales will start their southward migration with their young, some directly into the path of the Gulf oil streaming north, while others will fly directly into the waters of the Gulf and the waters and marshes of the coastal states and Caribbean islands.

 Migratory bird routes US FWS

Can We Save our Marine Assets

In response to the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, President Obama, the most powerful individual in the world, placed a moratorium on offshore drilling ... a sensible move by any responsible standards. At the very least, it would provide some time to attempt to ensure that safeguards are in place and that these regulations and laws are being adhered to. But, industry does not agree because when the oil stops flowing, their insane profits stop as well.

So along comes federal judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans who blocked Obama’s six-month moratorium on new deep-water offshore oil drilling and mocked the decision to impose it as sloppy and illogical. But now it is revealed that Judge Feldman held stock in Transocean LTD, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig.(www.politico.com)

So can Minister Rick Doucet do anything worthwhile? I've spent a lifetime trying to point out how we have been destroying our important "eco-economy" here in the Bay of Fundy, an economy that is historically and currently still based on an abundance of natural assets. During this 50 odd years, not one, I repeat, not one Minister of Fisheries for the Province of New Brunswick has ever attacked any of the root problems that have been degrading our environment in the Bay of Fundy since the 1960's.

Perhaps Minister Doucet should consider staying at home to work on the problems we have here now. Smarter men than he are on the scene in the Gulf of Mexico.

Actually, now that I've written this, I think prayer is now in order.

My opinion this morning. Art

Good News - Canada and Nova Scotia Extend Georges Bank Moratorium to 2015

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Premier's Office
May 13, 2010 11:44 AM The governments of Nova Scotia and Canada will extend the moratorium on oil and gas exploration and drilling on Georges Bank to Dec. 31, 2015.

"We know that any decision on whether or not to lift the moratorium on Georges Bank could have significant economic and environmental impacts on the province, the country, and beyond," Premier Darrell Dexter said. "It is critical that government understands these impacts before such a decision is made.

"We would want solid science and a full public review before making any decision to lift the moratorium. I have heard the public's concerns and I am confident that extending the moratorium will put people's minds at ease."

When the moratorium was first extended in 1999, the federal and provincial governments committed to try to work with U.S. agencies, as Georges Bank crosses international borders. The United States has also opted to ban oil and gas exploration on Georges Bank.

Both levels of government also agreed to gather and develop information on the delicate Georges Bank ecosystem, particularly about fishing and petroleum activities and technologies.

The research only began recently, and preliminary results suggest there will be more work to do.

The three-year extension announced today, May 13, will allow this process to be completed, as critical research results are expected later this year. Government will then assess the findings and focus on filling research gaps.

"We value and respect our ocean ecosystem," said Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks. "We also value and respect the men and women who work there, in both the fishing and petroleum industries. In order to make the right decision, we need more time to get the best scientific information available."

"The government of Canada is committed to the responsible management of Canada's offshore resources," said Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. "We will continue to work closely with the province of Nova Scotia on studies and decisions relating to Georges Bank."

Mr. Estabrooks said there may be important lessons to learn from the Gulf of Mexico drilling disaster.

A preliminary review is researching potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of offshore petroleum activities on Georges Bank, if permitted. Another study is assessing technologies and practices in offshore exploration, drilling and production that have been developed since the 1999 Georges Bank review.

Additional research is using modern software to reinterpret seismic information to better understand the resource potential. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is also conducting research.

Poking (50,686) Holes in Mother Earth

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Here is an astounding map showing the wells and bore holes in the Gulf of Mexico. It's little wonder that there are accidents. As Joyce Merrill said in her incisive article "We are on a very fast track to Hell." http://savenbpower.blogspot.com/2010/05/opinion-we-are-on-very-fast-track-to.html

And now we are planning to open up Georges Bank and the Scotian Shelf. More to follow. 

Want to get "up close and personal" with the wells and bore holes in the Gulf of Mexico? Go here and zoom in ... astounding! http://robslink.com/SAS/democd33/borehole.htm

Opinion - We are on a very fast track to hell itself

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The word is out there now on the true costs of fossil fuel addiction. It runs the gamut from deaths from gas explosions, deaths on oil rigs, deaths in coal mines, to major environmental catastrophes such as the oil spill in the Gulf which is in the process of destroying the local environment and economy and threatens to spread further, and the Alaskan Exxon Valdez spill, the destruction of the Niger Delta for export of LNG, the costs of global warming- which affects the entire planet, to the costs of the Oil Wars in the Middle East and the related costs of destabilization of global relationships ( ie: the World Trade Center ). How much does this add up to? What is the bottom line? Is it enough to get us to look seriously at changing our life styles to one more sustainable and to our working towards free renewable energy?

Addiction is a terrible thing, and we are addicted in the worst sense of the word. We are addicted to our outdated world view and our old materialistic habits and we resist sacrifice of the smallest sort. I first understood the power of addiction when I heard stories of children sold by parents for money to feed their heroin habits. Yet we are trashing the globe and sacrificing our children’s future to feed our fossil fuel addiction. How is that different? Where is the evidence for our claims of being an intelligent species?

What does it take to convince enough people that we are on a very fast track to hell itself on this planet? Massive disruptions will come faster and faster and on a more and more major scale because that is the nature of explosive population growth combined with explosive exploitation of resources- combined with unethical practices. Like true addicts we are in the process of throwing it all away for the quick fix.

We need a revolution in our world view and we need it right now. We need to wake up and see that this planet is the true home, the only possible home, of the human race. We need to see, value and understand the natural world and understand how we can work in harmony with the resources of the globe instead of exploiting them. We need a viewpoint that sees and understands the true costs of our actions. Only the mentally disturbed do not recognize the costs of their own actions. We need a revival of moral and ethical relationships within our communities, our countries and towards our environment. Nothing less than that will give our children a recognizable future world.

Joyce Morrell, Campobello

Photo Credit; wikipedia.com

Will oil drilling on Georges Bank endanger the Bay of Fundy? Canada faces deadline decision

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Richard Gaines
Staff Writer, Glouchester Times.

Across the Gulf of Maine in Nova Scotia, tension is building ahead of a decision due by month's end on whether to open for review and possible reversal a moratorium on petroleum exploration and drilling in the Canadian portion of Georges Bank.

But even if the provincial government decides against a new study of the pros and cons of drilling for oil and gas under the Canadian sector of the unique fishing grounds it shares with the United States, a spokesman for the Nova Scotia Department of Energy yesterday cautioned against drawing conclusions from that option.

"The decision whether or not to hold a public review is independent of whether to extend the moratorium," the department's Matt Lumley said in a telephone interview.

Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks was quoted in a story last month in the national news agency, The Canadian Press, as intrigued by possibilities of exploring for energy under Georges. Outside the Gulf of Maine basin most ocean areas are open to oil and gas development.

"I'm open to all the possibilities," said Estatbrooks in the April 24 story.

In the same story, Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau, a former commercial fisherman, was quoted as also feeling obligated to authorize the evaluation of the possibilities of drilling into the prized fishing grounds which extends into the ocean like a giant lobster claw from underneath Cape Cod.

"It's one of the most sensitive areas in the world and I've taken those concerns to our caucus," he said. "But in fairness, when government is faced with a decision they have to go out and do the evaluation.

Both ministers are members of the New Democratic Party, a left, progressive, social democratic party that before its election last year to govern Nova Scotia had opposed energy exploration in the Canadian sector of Georges.

The article was published weeks after President Obama extended the U.S. ban on oil and gas exploration in its larger Georges sector for five years through 2017 but opened vast swatches of the mid-Atlantic south of New Jersey to central Florida to oil exploration.

The comments did not note the explosion in the Gulf of Mexico of the BP oil platform that killed 11 workers and began uncontrolled leaking of crude oil that is now described as representing an unfolding ecological catastrophe.

The disaster did not come up in Lumley's nuanced explanation of the situation facing the provisional government in the weeks leading up to the mandated decision by June 1 whether to institute a new evaluation of the options for the Canadian portion of Georges.

It is a decision that is seen as having vast implications for the U.S. section, now under intense fish stock recovery controls written by the National Marine Fishery Service and its regional instrument, the New England Fishery Management Council.

Breaking with the United States to allow drilling in the Canadian side, said Peter Shelley, director of Conservation Law Foundation's Advocacy Center, "would be a real disaster for us, even it if were only exploratory drilling because of the currents, and once there's a spill, the entire fish production lives in the currents.

"I'm disappointed the Canadians are making these noises," he said. "I can't blame the Canadians for looking at their options."

Shelley said he worried that "if one side goes into drilling, the other side would go. The logic for protection disappears and herd mentality takes over."

The Canadians last conducted a review, this one mandated by law, of the options for Georges in 1999. The three-person panel took written and oral testimony from diverse interests including petroleum representatives and Massachusetts' U.S. Sen, Edward Kennedy and John Kerry and Congressmen John Tierney, Barney Frank and Bill Delahunt before concluding that drilling was a bad bet.

"In considering the risks to Georges Bank, the unacceptability of potential harm is the most important factor," the panel wrote. "The arguments that point to the great value of Georges Bank, ecologically and as a fishery, weighed against a lack of public need for limited benefits from petroleum exploration are persuasive.

Mark Butler, policy director for the Halifax, Nova Scotia, Ecology Action Center, a part of the NoRigs3 Coalition that is fighting to maintain the moratorium, told the Times "the issues haven't changed."

The Hague Line that split Georges between the United States and Canada was established in the International Court of Justice and named after its location in The Netherlands in 1984, resolving overlapping claims to Georges that were intensified by the possibility that, along with the great ecosystem proximate to the countries' fishing ports, natural gas might be found beneath the sandy ocean floor.

The fight that led to the original moratorium in the 1980s marked the last time fishing and environmental interests were aligned. Richard Gaines may be contacted at 978-283-7000 x3464 or rgaines@gloucestertimes.com

Beware the Call of Bay of Fundy's Sirens

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 Oil, coastal quarries, nuclear power, LNG, tidal power ... the call of Bay of Fundy Sirens has become louder and more persistent with each passing year. Even the proven natural wealth of this place and those special niches like the Quoddy Region fall under the spell of this insistent chorus that promises jobs and wealth.

Indeed, we seem unable to learn from our neighbours and friends. Read this familiar sad story from Alaska:

In the early 1970s, Big Oil wooed Alaskans with a seductive chorus promising jobs, riches, and risk-free oil development, pipeline transfer, and tanker transport. Alaska politicians fell under its spell.

Today Big Oil generates more than 85 percent of Alaska's operating revenues - and the song has changed. The tune is now militant and strident, as the industry demands ever more opportunity to drill and ever less regulation. This "opportunity" comes at the expense of deeply rooted indigenous cultures, family lifestyles, and businesses like commercial fishing and tourism that rely on Alaska's abundant natural resources.

But the same enchanting Siren music once tailored to Alaskans is currently playing for Floridians, Californians, and others who live on our seacoasts. From my perspective as a survivor of North America's largest oil spill--the 1989 Exxon Valdez--it seems too many politicians are falling under its spell. My advice to coastal residents in the Lower 48: Take heed.

We learned the hard way that Big Oil's promises were good only until authorizing laws were passed and permits approved. The industry promised, for instance, in the early 1970s to double hull its tankers to minimize the risk of spills. But it will take until 2015 - more than 40 years - for it to make good on this promise. That's too late for those of us in Prince William Sound. Ironically, too, 2015 will arrive long before the last of the toxic oil that spilled from the single-hulled Exxon Valdez is gone from our beaches--and long before our herring even begin to recover.

The once thriving multi-million dollar herring fisheries are nonexistent and the wildlife that feed on herring--well, it will recover whenever the herring recover. Maybe. Scientists make no promises.

It's worth reading the entire article here: Huffington Post, Posted: September 25, 2009 10:43 AM, Beware the Sirens of Big Oil http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riki-ott/beware-the-sirens-of-big_b_299809.html

Photo Credit Odysseus and the Sirens: wikipedia.com
Thanks to Vivian N.