Wednesday, November 20, 2002

Check out Atlético Rules for the scoop on the oil spill off the coast of Galicia. Someone said on TV3 that if the spill had been crude oil instead of fuel oil it would have been even worse, since fuel oil is slightly heavier than water and tends to sink whereas crude oil floats on top of the water and is more easily carried to shore. I don't know whether this is true--could someone who knows basic physical science tell us? There's also been some complaining about Gibraltar, as that was the oil tanker's destination. The tanker was apparently substandard and in violation of several laws, one of which was that it was supposed to be double-hulled but was only single-hulled. Those responsible should, of course, face the consequences; the captain of the ship is in jail in Galicia. Seems to me that it ought to be the shipowner in there if anyone's going to jail. I'm really not sure what Gibraltar has to do with anything, but certain sectors of the media seem to be trying to draw a connection between the existence of Gibraltar as a British colony and this oil spill. I don't get it.

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