waters within 200 miles of its broad coastline. The Miami group 

 is making a thorough ecological examination of the submarine 

 flora and fauna of the tropical Atlantic. After a series of nego- 

 tiations, temporary agreements, and dramatic reversals, the 

 research program finally left Brazilian waters in late August 

 1968, probably forever. This is an example of the strained re- 

 lations which the Marine Sciences Commission referred to in 

 its report. 



Oceanography in Other Countries 



Surveys of marine science activities of 99 nations were 

 published in April 1968 by the National Council on Marine 

 Resources and Engineering Development. The contents include 

 a brief description of the activities' economic importance, means 

 for coordination of ocean endeavors, and the nature and scope 

 of the marine research. 



Proposed Oil Supertanker Ports in New England 



The Occidental Petroleum Company has proposed to build 

 an oil refinery in Machiasport, Maine, which would be supplied 

 by supertankers with capacities up to 340,000 tons. This site 

 has been chosen because of the deep water around several small 

 offshore islands where the oil will be off-loaded. The construc- 

 tion of the 300,000 barrel/day refinery, which would take about 

 18 months, will not begin until two important legal matters have 

 been settled. The Department of Commerce must determine if 

 a free trade zone for foreign crude oil will be allowed, and the 

 Department of Interior must rule on the status of refined oil 

 with respect to import into the United States. There has been 

 some local concern about industrialization in the area and air 

 pollution. This arrangement also poses a potential oil pollution 

 threat. A major spill or an accidental grounding in the strong 

 tides of the area could have serious consequences. The TORREY 

 CANYON which ran aground off the Cornish coast in 1967 was 

 only a 120,000-ton tanker. 



Portland, Maine, has also been cited as a location where 

 supertankers might be accommodated along the New England 

 coast. In April 1969, King Resources Company announced plans 

 for docking, pumping, and storage facilities on Casco Bay's 

 Long Island. After some dredging it will be possible for the 

 supertankers to approach close enough to allow their cargo to 

 be pumped out through an underwater pipeline to storage tanks 

 on the island. Initially, underground tanks built by the Navy 

 in World War II will be used. There is a possibility that more 

 tanks and perhaps even a refinery will be built at a later date. 

 Some of the oil will be reshipped in smaller tankers to other 

 ports which cannot handle supertankers; some will go into the 

 Portland-Montreal pipeline; and some may be used in the area. 

 Oil spills should be relatively easy to control in the slovv^ current 

 of the Sound and a study of booms and air-screens is in progress. 



39 



