Speakeasy forum: And just to prove that Oil Companies are careful with the

environment: Shell Oil runs floating Rig ashore in Alaska.

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2013/01/oil-rig-runs-aground-in-arctic.html

Apparently it was being moved in rough weather and the tow-line snapped. Like they couldn't afford redundancy or safety.

Oil tankers only became double hulled after it had cost Oil Companies and shippers a great deal of money. Maybe it's time to ensure that careless operation like this resulted in penalties to the Companies involved.

And before somebody screams Too Much Regulation, it costs much more to clean up the messes (even assuming that BP has succeeded in cleaning up all the disaster in the Gulf, which I don't) than it does to ensure safety and to avoid obvious mistakes. You'd think they'd have learned with the Exxon Valdes, but apparently business doesn't learn unless it costs them a serious amount of money. That's why I thought the penalty paid by BP, the equivalent of 4 months profit from the year in which it happened after having paid for the clean up and compensation for the communities and shores affected, was too little. 4.5 Billion is chump change for a multi-national.

I notice that the drilling company who operated the BP rig were assessed 1.5 Billion this week in fines. I'd have preferred triple both amounts and a serious effort to ensure safety in the movement and operation of off-shore rigs. That's not punitive, it's merely prudent to ensure less stupidity in Corporate boardrooms and Management.

Rob