Digital Extra

An in-depth look at oil spills, historically and scientifically,
with links to other sites on the World Wide Web

6/24: Lobster hatchery a nest of research
Conservation Officer Frances Ethier still recalls boarding the lobsterman's boat in Point Judith and being struck by the strange odor.

6/24: Experts say coastal ponds need management plan
SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- An uninformed observer could have been forgiven last Friday morning for thinking that the United Nations was holding a negotiating session in the Town Council chambers of the Town Hall.

2/1: Reed, Kennedy offer bill tightening tugboat rules
WASHINGTON -- In a response to the North Cape oil spill, Representatives Jack Reed and Patrick J. Kennedy introduced a bill yesterday to tighten federal tugboat regulations.

2/1: Coast Guard rethinking cuts
The Coast Guard says it is reconsidering its plan to reduce the size of the staff at the Point Judith station in light of the recent oil spill off South Kingstown.

1/31: Oil spill blamed on lack of dredging
PROVIDENCE -- Leaders of Rhode Island's marine trade industry and the pilots who guide shipping through Narragansett Bay blamed the North Cape oil spill yesterday on the state's failure to dredge the main shipping channel to Providence.

1/28: `Vessel in distress'
Weather bulletins grew increasingly ominous on Friday, Jan. 20. By 3:30 that morning, gale warnings were flying above Coast Guard stations from Sandy Hook, N.J., to Watch Hill.

1/28: Chronology of the crisis
A day-by-day account of the North Cape oil spill.

1/28: Epilogue
Alan Peek, the commander of the Atlantic Strike Force, was at Galilee at 5:30 Saturday morning, ready with five tractor-trailer loads of gear to pump oil off the grounded North Cape.

1/28: The key players
Here is a list of key officials who are dealing with the effects of the the North Cape crisis.

1/28: The companies and agencies involved in the spill
When the barge North Cape spilled 828,000 gallons of heating oil into the waters off Moonstone Beach, a team of federal, state, local officials -- and many individuals -- mobilized to respond.

1/26: Could spill have been averted?
NARRAGANSETT -- Had the tug Scandia been equipped with an automated fire-suppression system rather than one manually operated, the North Cape spill may have been averted, the Coast Guard's lead investigator said yesterday.

1/24: North Cape, barge that sank in 1982 have 'family' links
If you are sick of seeing the North Cape off Moonstone Beach and are impatient to get rid of it, imagine how residents of Narragansett feel about the barge that sank off the town beach more than 13 years ago.

1/20: In previous marine oil spills, R.I. was lucky
Rhode Island and the surrounding region have skated on the edge of marine petroleum-spill disasters for decades.

Related Web sites

The administrative record
Access the administrative record of the spill at URI's Pell Marine Science Library, plus gopher links related to oilspills.

The R.I. Sea Grant Oil Spill Web Page
Researchers from the University of Rhode Island have been at work determining the impact of the worst oil spill in Rhode Island's history. There is also other important regional information on the oil spill.

The Marine Oil Spill Web Page
This site defines what a marine oil spill is, examines how damaging these spills are to the environment, and recalls previous, hazardous oil spills.

The Oil Spill Liability Web Page
Information on oil-spill related topics such as insurance, OPA90 regulations, NRC studies, design cost analysis and cleanup response companies, as well as links to other sources.

Emergency Response To Marine Oil Spills Web site
As part of the Hoffmann Services Maritime Pages, this site has been formed to serve as a resource database of response organizations, response equipment, online publications and equipment descriptions. There also are acronyms and a dictionary.

Great Blue Productions Web site
A nature lover's look at the oil spill. By clicking on the Rhode Island Oil Spill Images link, you can see actual images and video taken in the vicinity of the Rhode Island Oil Spill.

Know YOUR Environment Web page
Access information on the latest environmental topics through news bulletins, articles and the Environmental Assoicates's publication listings. There also are pointers to other environmental resources on the Internet.

Maritime Global Net
An Internet site based in Rhode Island that lists, and links to, more than 270 commercial maritime sites.

NOAA's Oil And Chemical Emergency Response And Planning - Oil Spill Case Histories
These selected case histories give highlights from recent significant spills.