LOCAL : Depth Surveys Pushed After Oil Spill Off Huntington Beach
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In the wake of the oil spill off Huntington Beach, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard said this morning that regular depth surveys probably are going to be required in the future at all offshore tanker terminals to ensure their safety.
At a press conference in Long Beach, Adm. Paul A. Yost called the fact that soundings have never been required at tanker moorings “an oversight, a goof.”
Yost speculated that there was less water than believed at the ill-fated mooring where the American Trader ruptured its hull on its anchor and spilled 394,000 gallons of crude that has kept miles of Orange County beach closed for more than two weeks. But he said that “one of the last places you should put blame” is on Mooring Master John E. Keon and Capt. A. R. (Robert) La Ware.
“I think following this incident we have to look at sounding these areas a little more often,” Yost said, adding later that he would at least like to see depth readings taken every time a deep draft ship uses a terminal.
Yost did not offer any specifics on whether the Coast Guard will be requiring the surveys as part of its licensing procedure for tanker moorings across the nation.
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