oil spill

Oil spills out of ship in Norway
By Amy Lipman
February 18, 2011 - 1:28pm
Ship runs aground in Hvaler national park, damages fuel tanks.

Late Thursday, an Icelandic container ship hit ground in a Norwegian national park, according to MSNBC. Two of the Godafoss' 250-ton fuel tanks were damaged, causing it to leak oil.

The ship was traveling from Fredrikstad's southern port, which is near the Swedish border, according to The Norwegian Coastal Administration.

Scientist find oil on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
By Jack Keenan
October 25, 2010 - 11:12am
Federal Officials said the majority of the oil on the bottom of the Gulf had disappeared, but recent discoveries show this to be untrue.

Scientist aboard two research vessels studying the impact of the oil spill on sea life in the Gulf of Mexico found "considerable evidence" of oil on the seafloor of the Gulf, according to USA Today. The sample of evidence the researchers pulled out of the sea still need to be tested in order to make sure they did come from the spewing oil well. However, the amount of oil in the samples and the proximity to the well site make it "highly likely" that the oil came from the spill site.

Louisiana's sand islands may do little to block oil spill
By Jack Keenan
October 22, 2010 - 11:21am
Louisiana is building man-made islands to try and block and capture the oil spill, but many scientists believe the effort is futile.

Early this past summer, the state of Louisiana started constructed a series of islands made of sand about a few miles off the coastline, according to The New York Times. The project is being funded by BP. The oil company promised the state 360 million dollars, and thus far the state has used 240 million. However, the multi-million dollar project that requires hundreds of workers may be all for not.

Scientist think the oil is far to dispersed for any sort of structure to prove useful in the cleanup.

Drilling on the Gulf will resume
By Luisa Ardila
October 12, 2010 - 7:22pm
The White House has lifted its six-month moratorium on offshore oil drilling before its deadline.

The ban on offshore oil drilling has been lifted today. This comes more than a month before the deadline set by the Obama administration after the BP oil spill, according to NPR. Companies will be able to drill on the Gulf of Mexico once again, but under tougher restrictions, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The lifting of the ban was expected after the White House received strong criticism for it, as many argued that the moratorium accounted for thousands of job losses in the Gulf.

BP plans to focus on safety post-spill
By Marissa Perlman
September 29, 2010 - 1:47pm
The new chief executive plans to set up a global safety program to regain trust in BP.

Two days before he is to take over as chief executive of British oil giant BP, Robert Dudley, said that he plans to set up a new global safety division for his company, according to The New York Times.

What the Gulf oil spill means for you
By Julia Shanahan
September 13, 2010 - 11:52am
University Lectures will host a panel discussion on Oct. 26, to explore the long-term impacts of the BP disaster.

 

Navy ship honors 9/11 victims
By Christopher Hein
November 2, 2009 - 6:04pm
The new Navy ship, USS New York, salutes the victims of 9/11

The USS New York Navy assault ship pulled into its namesake city today honoring the victims of 9/11.  A 21-gun salute near the site of the 2001 terrorist attack saluted the ship as it arrived. First responders, families of September 11 victims and the public gathered Monday to see this incredible site.

The new Navy ship was built using more than seven and a half tons of steel from the World Trade Centers.  It was actually scheduled to be built before the terrorist attacks, but a year later an announcement came saying the ship would be named in honor of New York City and...