Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Sep 11, 2012 10:12AM EDT
The Maritime Administration said its recently announced study of the effects of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990’s requirement for double-hull ships “is being canceled in its entirety at the convenience of the government.”
Marad published a solicitation on Aug. 6 for candidates to produce the study, and asked for submissions by Aug. 10.
The agency said it wanted to examine the safety, economic and environmental impact of OPA-90’s double-hull requirement, including whether double hulls waste energy by requiring extra steel that increases fuel use.
OPA-90 was enacted in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. The law’s requirements for double hulls were soon adopted by the International Maritime Orgnization and became a worldwide regulation.
Marad offered no further explanation for why the study was canceled.
Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JosephBonney.
