The study for Congress was required by section 1004 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). The study analyzes the relative environmental and operational risks of the four principal modes for waterborne delivery of crude oil to U.S. ports: direct vessel deliveries, lightering, deepwater ports, and offshore mooring stations; detailed descriptions of these modes are presented. The study finds that most spills are non-catastrophic (less than 1,000 barrels), but that all modes are potentially catastrophic under worst-case scenarios. However, the study determined that deepwater ports are the least-risky of the four modes because cargo operations take place well offshore where minor spills may disperse naturally before impinging upon sensitive ecosystems. Furthermore, seafloor pipeline transfer of oil does not expose it to the same risks encountered by surface ships (adverse weather, fire, collisions, groundings, etc.). The study also includes 1986-1990 crude oil casualty and import data for Gulf coast ports.


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