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Originally posted by steeplechase:
I was first wondering if this disaster has been heard about across the pond ...

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Originally posted by steeplechase:
International Cruise Talkers may not know but we have a huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. I was first wondering if this disaster has been heard about across the pond and second I was wondering if there will be any problems getting the oil off of the cruise ships that ply the Gulf?

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During the summer of 1989 I was working aboard REGENT SUN in Alaska--that was the time of the EXXON VALDEZ disaster, and yes, we did port in and out of Valdez, AK, where the clean-up operations were based. There was an oily ring around our hull all summer, but it disappeared in September when we went South to Mexico and Panama.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Basically two ships sail along on either side of a vessel and pressure wash the hull.

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So instead of one ship with oil around the hull, we have 3 vessels all burning fuel, 2 of those to wash an organic substance back into the sea. OK better floating/sinking in the sea than the river at NO, but I still wonder whether this action achieves much; especially if the oil is only stuck to the hull as it will sit there, if leaving a sheen astern or around then it would depend on the amount.

Crude oil is messy, kills wildlife by sticking feathers etc together and looks nasty, but it is an organic substance and will disappear. Forest/heath fires also mostly man-made by carelessness or otherwise, kill as much wildlife, devastate the countryside and take far longer to recover.

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Originally posted by steeplechase:
International Cruise Talkers may not know but we have a huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. I was first wondering if this disaster has been heard about across the pond

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It's been all over the news here in Germany, as well.

Best,

And because this has happened in an area of the Gulf of Mexico just outside of the main current stream the slow drift of the oil will take much, much longer for us to realize it's full devastating effect. 

The worst is still yet to come and could takes decades to recover from, if ever. 

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Originally posted by Cunardcoll:
I don't think so barryboat , I think that the world can decrease oil usage to 25% of what it is today , the hydrogen engine is much more effecient and it's clean , the only problem is airtravel and space launches , all other forms of energy can be replaced by non fossile fuel use , like solar energy , windpowered energy , even waterpower, and off course the hydrogen engines, if you start producing hydrogen in a plant that is fed by a dam for it's energy, you can eliminate fossile fuel completely. [...]

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
[...]
Brazil has become self sustained from oil using bio products for fuel.[...]

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That's not true.

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
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Here in the US we have more coal than you can imagine. Yet not much is being used.

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Using coal extensively might make it worse.

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
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Also all the corn and other products that could make fuel for cars.

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Actually, oil is used to make the corn. In some cases this can be less efficient than using the oil 'directly'.

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
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Yet Brazil has done it!!!
F4

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Back on topic, here's a friendly reminder that the Gulf of Mexico is entering hurricane season. I'm not speculating as to whether a hurricane will hit the oil spill. I'm telling you a hurricane will hit the oil spill.

[ 06-07-2010: Message edited by: Lubber ]

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil

Check it out. probably updated by now.
F4

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You confuse oil with gasoline. Yes, they increased the amount of biofuels used but the amount of oil used is still increasing (Also, be aware that they mix Ethanol with gasoline but this does not mean that all vehicles are running on 100 % Ethanol).

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

[ 06-07-2010: Message edited by: Ernst ]

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Originally posted by Lubber:
Coal is a terrible pollutant-- so bad, in fact, that some power plants have "gone green" by switching to Bunker C! One transition fuel that is seriously being looked at is natural gas. The major barrier to natural gas replacing coal in America is the fact that most NG providers are smaller, independent operators who are plentiful but unable to reach consensus as an industry. We also have a strong coal lobby-- the era of the Matewan coal baron is still very much alive.

Back on topic, here's a friendly reminder that the Gulf of Mexico is entering hurricane season. I'm not speculating as to whether a hurricane will hit the oil spill. I'm telling you a hurricane will hit the oil spill.

[ 06-07-2010: Message edited by: Lubber ]

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This may have been true in the past but there are some major players getting into unconventional shale gas plays across the north eastern US, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Companies that also have gas stations all across North America where they would actually be able to sell some natural gas to consumers.

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
There will always be, and has been, bigger and worse enviromentals around the globe. But don't dare minimize what is happening here by saying it is a shame we aren't paying more attention to this place or that. It's insulting. 

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Originally posted by Globaliser:
I don't think anyone was trying to downplay the significance of the current problem. However, it is (as always) important to keep a sense of perspective about this incident, bad though it is.

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According to Wikipedia the Deepwater Horizon spill now ranks fourth on the list of the worst oil spills to have occured in history. It's still spewing oil 55 days later, not fully contained, and the largest amount of oil, whether in trillions upon trillions of dispersed droplets, massive plums, or drifting sludge, is still under the surface waiting to hit the beaches.

This quote from fastcompany "The BP Gulf oil spill is the worst ever when you combine its size and location. While it may not be the biggest, as you can see from the graphic, it certainly will be one of the most economically damaging and costly, simply because it occurred in some of America's most productive waters".

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
Hows that for perspective.

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Originally posted by Globaliser:
It's a very big and very damaging oil spill.

But is it an industrial accident on such a scale that we are not even allowed to mention the occurrence of others, for fear that we might trivialise what is at hand? I don't think so.

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There are countless industrial accidents of varying degrees that have occured over the last decade, but very, very, very few which will have reached the magnitude of this one in the scale of its ecological, environmental, and financial impact on the Gulf Coast of the US and where ever else this oil drifts to, maybe eventually all the way up the Atlantic coast of the United States, and this thing is still in progress. It just didnt happen on April 20th, and then stop, or was contained a month later and the oil disappeared like magic. We are 56 days into this industrial accident and the worst hasn't even happened yet.

You said keep things in perspective. What I said was dont come up to me and say 'if you think this one was bad, look at this one over here' because a statement like that does diminish the disaster at hand.