oil spill

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Robot Sub Racing to Stop Oil Leak at Sunken Rig

It could take hours or months to stop the 1K-barrel-a-day spill

(Newser) - Crews have been using a robot submarine to try to stop an oil leak nearly a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, but officials said late yesterday it would take at least another day before they knew whether the job was completed. It could take hours or...

Hunt for Survivors Nears End; Rig Not Leaking Oil

Coast Guard sees no spillage from ocean floor

(Newser) - Rescuers are prepared to call off the search today for the 11 missing crew members of the sunken oil rig off the Louisiana coast, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune . Meanwhile, crews working to contain any environmental damage got good news from the Coast Guard this morning: The rig does not...

Tanker in Danger of Breaking Up on Great Barrier Reef

Chinese coal-hauler was 9 miles outside shipping lane

(Newser) - A coal-laden ship that ran aground at full speed some 9 miles outside a shipping lane in protected waters was leaking oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and in danger of breaking apart, officials said today. Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef, which is...

Tug Grounds on Same Reef as Exxon Valdez

Ship was scouting ice to prevent accidents; 3rd recent spill in area

(Newser) - Two decades after the Exxon Valdez disaster, a tugboat working to prevent another oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound ran aground on the same reef, leaving a three-mile sheen of oil. The 136-foot tug Pathfinder had just finished checking for dangerous ice when it hit Bligh Reef. Alaska Sen....

As Long as We Use Oil, We'll Spill Oil

(Newser) - The Exxon Valdez oil spill is still wreaking havoc on Prince William Sound 20 years later, and an increased push for drilling in Alaska has conservationists and fisherman girding for a repeat, Yale Environment 360 reports. The decimation of the sound’s herring population has affected everything from seabirds to...

US Nuclear Sub, Ship Collide in Strait of Hormuz

(Newser) - Two US vessels—the USS Hartford nuclear submarine and the amphibious USS New Orleans—collided in the waters between Iran and the Arabian peninsula today, the AP reports. Fifteen sailors were slightly injured aboard the Hartford, but all were able to return to duty. The New Orleans crew was unscathed,...

Aussie Oil Spill 10 Times Worse Than Thought

Government blamed for slow response to disaster

(Newser) - The oil spill that’s polluting beaches along the northeast coast of Australia is 10 times worse than originally thought, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Officials now say that about 253 tons of oil leaked from a Hong Kong ship on Wednesday, damaging dozens of beaches that span 37 miles...

20 Years After Spill, Valdez Oil 'Harmless'

Few remaining deposits don't threaten life in Alaskan waters: scientists

(Newser) - Nearly 20 years after the Exxon Valdez spill, what little oil remains in the soiled Prince William Sound is harmless to plant and animal life, scientists agree. The last oil deposits remain deep in the cracks between shoreline rocks, inaccessible to animals and degraded enough to be "biologically insignificant....

Crew Still 'Jailed' Year After SF Bay Spill

Chinese witnesses fight to return to families

(Newser) - Six crew members from the ship crash that caused San Francisco Bay’s largest oil spill in 20 years remain detained a year later, unable to return to families in China. Though they live rent-free in San Francisco, get $1,200 monthly plus their salaries, and are free to roam,...

Ike Spilled 500K Gallons of Gulf Oil

Strong winds, waves damaged dozens of oil platforms

(Newser) - Hurricane Ike knocked at least a half million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and nearby waterways, according to an AP analysis of environmental reports. Worst hit were oil platforms near the coast of Louisiana, but about half of the spill occurred at a facility on Goat...

Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi
 Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi 
Jul 25, 2008 7:28 AM CDT

Oil Spill Snarls Mississippi

Workers racing river to clean up gigantic slick near New Orleans

(Newser) - An oil spill stretching nearly 100 miles along the Mississippi is causing river traffic to pile up, AP reports. Dozens of vessels are stuck in New Orleans waiting to head upriver. Others are waiting to carry cargos of grain downriver from the heartland. Officials say it will be days before...

Oil-Slurping Nanotechnology Next Front in Fighting Spills

MIT scientists create mesh that keeps water out, can hold 20 times its weight in crude

(Newser) - Cleaning up oil might soon get faster and cheaper, thanks to nanotechnology. Scientists at MIT have crafted a paper-like substance that can absorb up to 20 times its weight, the Economist reports. The mesh of nanowires, each 1/1,000th the diameter of a human hair, feels and looks like paper—...

Feds Indict Pilot in SF Oil Spill
Feds Indict
Pilot in SF
Oil Spill
Mar 17, 2008 6:17 PM CDT

Feds Indict Pilot in SF Oil Spill

Attorney vows to battle misdemeanors, calling them premature

(Newser) - The pilot of a ship that dumped 53,000 gallons of oil in San Francisco Bay last year was indicted today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. John Cota faces two federal misdemeanor charges, for releasing a pollutant and killing migratory birds; at least 2,000 birds died in the spill....

Exxon Asks Court to Toss $2.5B Payout

Supreme's justices appear to be split in Valdez case

(Newser) - Nearly 20 years after the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil in Prince William Sound, the company asked the Supreme Court to reject a ruling that it pay $2.5 billion in punitive damages. Judges appeared split in today's arguments, USA Today reports, making a tie possible...

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Case Bound for Supreme Court

Exxon has paid $3.5 billion over years, but claimants want 'closure'

(Newser) - Almost two decades after the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil off the Alaskan coast, legal clashes continue—and will reach the Supreme Court this week, the Washington Post reports. At issue is whether Exxon's $3.5 billion payout is enough or should increase to $5 billion, as...

SF Ship Pilot May Have Had Sleep Disorder

Captain reportedly on two prescription meds for drowsiness, anxiety

(Newser) - The ship pilot who hit a San Francisco bridge and unleashed the bay's worst oil spill in nearly 20 years may have been on drugs for a sleep disorder, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Captain John Cota was reportedly taking two kinds of prescription medication to prevent drowsiness and treat...

Korea Struggles to Clean Spill
Korea Struggles to Clean Spill
Dec 9, 2007 5:00 PM CST

Korea Struggles to Clean Spill

Government declares state of disaster

(Newser) - A crew of 7,000 struggled to contain the worst oil spill in South Korean history today, the New York Times reports. The government declared a state of disaster as volunteers hauled buckets of oil from a 12-mile shore, fighting headaches and nausea from the stench. The coast guard set...

Oil Slick Reaches South Korean Shore

Worst spill in country's history threatens scenic coastline, maritime park

(Newser) - Emergency workers in South Korea are struggling to contain a 12-mile-long oil slick that has reached an ecologically sensitive shoreline on the Korean west coast. The oil spilled when a barge broke loose from the tug that was pulling it, and slammed into a Hong Kong-registered supertanker. The spill threatens...

S. Korea Rushes to Contain Spill
S. Korea Rushes to Contain Spill
Dec 7, 2007 11:35 AM CST

S. Korea Rushes to Contain Spill

Spill occurred near ecologically sensitive coastline

(Newser) - South Korea has sent out a fleet of ships to try to prevent 2.7 million gallons of oil that leaked from a supertanker from reaching an ecologically sensitive shoreline, the AP reports. A crane-carrying barge collided with the tanker 93 miles southwest of Seoul, causing the spill. Authorities are...

Spill Hits Diving Duck Hardest
Spill Hits Diving Duck Hardest
Nov 24, 2007 5:33 AM CST

Spill Hits Diving Duck Hardest

Migratory species accounts for one-quarter of dead birds in SF Bay catastrophe

(Newser) - A migratory duck already under environmental pressure has taken the brunt of the damage from the San Francisco Bay fuel spill, the AP reports. Of at least 1,365 dead birds, more than one-quarter are surf scoters, as are 40% of the birds being cleaned. "The oil spill just...

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