Dear Editor:
There is one more thing I've learned about oil tankers.
I've noticed a tendency on the part of oil industry supporters to overstate the merits of double hulled oil tankers.
They often give the impression that two hulls will reduce or prevent spills in the case of collision or grounding. But the fact of the matter is that, by and of themselves, double hulls do not deter oil spills.
In much the same way as a car accident, the amount of damage caused by a collision is determined by the force of the impact.
As we all know, a low-energy impact will result in a fender bender, while a high-energy impact will do much more damage.
The same principle applies to ships. And, yes, an undamaged inner hull can help keep a ship afloat if a low-energy collision causes a breach in the outer hull.
However, the higher the energy impact the more likely both hulls will be breached.
A major difference between a ship and a car, of course, is that a ship doesn't have brakes.
Bill Brassington, Burnaby
