Mexico, off Southern California, in Cook Inlet, 
Alaska, in the Great Lakes, and even off the East 
Coast. For example, in the Gulf of Mexico almost 
6,000 wells have been drilled since 1960, and 
thousands of miles of oil and gas pipelines 
crisscross the Gulf’s floor. 
Such operations may pollute offshore waters 
through well blowouts, dumping  oil-saturated 
drilling muds and oil-soaked cuttings, and oil lost 
in production, storage, and transportation. Pipe- 
lines on the seabed from the offshore platforms to 
storage facilities also threaten pollution if ruptured 
by storms or ships’ anchors. 
2. Future Needs 
A major effort must be undertaken to curtail 
oil pollution from ships and oil rigs. A systems 
approach to preventing pollution spillage at sea, 
how to monitor it, and how to disperse it is 
discussed in the following pages. 
The shipping and oil industries have some 
methods to prevent spills and to clean up those 
occurring. Most are suitable only for small spills; 
many require bulky equipment or chemicals diffi- 
cult to carry to the scene. Therefore, one approach 
to combat oil spills is to make equipment and 
materials more readily transportable. Another is to 
adapt present methods to be effective against the 
largest spills. 
In chemical, food, and other industries there 
are agents, systems, and procedures for the con- 
trol, dispersal, or conversion of petroleum-like 
substances. A search of other industries is needed 
for techniques and equipment adaptable to con- 
trolling oil spills. 
Finding and applying existing techniques and 
equipment may offer hope of a rapid solution to 
the oil pollution problem, but that solution may 
not be best. Concurrently, research and develop- 
ment efforts should seek completely new solu- 
tions. 
The problem can be subdivided according to 
the condition or location of the dangerous cargo 
and the response time of a remedial system. Figure 
40 lists nine combinations of cargo condition and 
response time, giving each an environmental 
number. Figure 41 lists some remedies or remedial 
systems and the environmental number (or alter- 
nate) to which they probably would apply best. 
VI-104 
Figure 40 
ENVIRONMENTAL NUMBERS 
Escaping 
Far From 
or Near 
Hull 
Response 
Time 
Before 
Imminent 
Casualty 
0-24 Hours 
After Casualty 
1-20 Days 
After Casualty 
INot applicable. 
Source: Trident Engineering Associates, Inc., ‘‘A Possi- 
ble Solution to Pollution of the Sea and Shore by Oil 
Tankers,’ unpublished report to the Commission (An- 
napolis, Maryland, 1968), p. 2. 
Figure 41 
CONTROL TECHNIQUES WITH APPRO- 
PRIATE ENVIRONMENTAL NUMBERS 
Control Environ- 
Techniques or mental 
Systems! Number? 
Build foam barriers into cargo tanks 
(oil-permeable impedance) 1 
Solidify oil 1 
Design safety features into tank 1 
Inject foam sealant into selected tanks 2 
Act to free grounded ship (sacrificial 
approach) 2. 
Gel oil 2(1) 
Close tank vents (escape impedance) 2 
Pull light vacuum on selected tanks 2 
Unload tanks to free ship, using 
stored high-pressure air 2 
Sluice cargo between selected tanks 2 
Install water ballast tanks in 
critical areas 2(1) 
Burn oil above tanker 2 
Solidify oil in selected areas 2 
Build sealing devices into tank 2(1) 
Design air-transportable super- 
foam sealant system 3 
Heat oil ready to pump 3(2) 
Bring in emergency high capacity 
pumping system 3 
