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Environmentalism and the Maritime Industry
Chapter 18 of Yardbird Blues - by Arthur Miller
In the few months, before this writing, there have been 3 major oil spills caused by tanker accidents. First was the Greek tanker Aegean Sea that crashed upon rocks near Coruna, Spain. Then a Liberian tanker went aground off the Shetland Islands. A little over a week later a loaded tanker collided with an empty tanker in the Malacca Strait that separates Malaysia and Indonesia. In each case millions of gallons of oil were spilled in what the capitalist press called "accidents." These were not accidents, they were the direct result of capitalist greed: maximum profit with minimum expense Add these 3 spills to the long list of major spills:
- The Torrey Canyon grounded off Land's End, England (119,000 tons spilled),
- the Othello in a collision in Tralhavet Bay, Sweden (100,000 tons spilled),
- the Sea Star involved in a collision in the Gulf of Oman (115,000 tons spilled),
- the Urquiola ran aground near La Coruna, Spain (100,000 tons spilled),
- fire aboard the Hawaiian Patriot in the northern Pacific (99,000 tons spilled),
- the Amoco Cadiz ran aground off northwest France (223,000 tons spilled),
- the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain collide off Trinidad (300,000 tons spilled),
- fire aboard the Castillo de Bellver off Cape Town, South Africa (250,000 tons spilled),
- and the Exxon Valdez run aground in Prince William Sound of Alaska (11 million gallons spilled). The list of smaller spills is almost endless.
In every case these spills could have been prevented. Do not buy the lies of educated fools, who first claim that these ships are safe, and then, when there's an "accident" blame it on some worker. They will always say, "Everything that can be done is being done," and then say, "the accident is being looked into so that it will not happen again". These are just lies to cover up corporate crime. I tell you for a fact that everything that can be done is NOT being done, and nothing is being looked into except increased profits. I know, for I have worked on ships for 20 years in both new construction and repair. There is no part of a tanker I have not worked in. I helped build a sister ship to the Valdez, at National Steel & Shipbuilding. I can tell you that no ship that sails is built to be earth-safe. I can also tell you that earth-safe ships can be built and maintained. What follows is precisely how to do it.
aground.
dangerous waters.
Mississippi river, a special pilot boards at the mouth of the river.
cut, and when a worker is forced to do bad work, there is nowhere to report it without risking losing his or her job.
I am not a scientist. I cannot tell you how much pollution the oceans can take. I am just a radical environmentalist worker who does not trust the "experts" and believes that oceans can be damaged and should not have to take any human pollution. The above steps to earth-safe ships would greatly increase the safety of workers and the environment, but I am a realist; worker and environmental safety will not be a goal of society until we put an end to production for profit and change industry to the production of well-being for all -- including Mother Earth.
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