Letter to the Editor

Oil Transport by Water Is Safe and Getting Safer

A Coast Guard report details the significant decline in the number and volume of tank barge oil spills over the past two decades.

September 24, 2015

I write regarding “How to Transport Oil More Safely” (Journal Reports, Sept. 14) to present a more accurate picture of the safety of the tugboat, towboat and barge industry.

The article leaves the impression that all of the 275 spills into Galveston Bay were attributable to commercial vessels transporting oil. In fact, these figures include spills into the bay from landside sources and pleasure craft as well. To appreciate the magnitude of the misimpression the article leaves, consider that there were only 85 tank barge spills nationwide in 2014, all but seven of which were less than 100 gallons in size, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A 2012 Coast Guard report to Congress details the significant decline in the number and volume of tank barge oil spills over the past two decades and attributes this safety improvement to a strong combination of federal regulation and industry initiatives, including implementation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Thomas A. Allegretti

President and CEO

The American Waterways Operators

Arlington, Va.