U.S. icebreakers can't handle Alaska oil spills: official (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard does not have sufficiency working icebreakers to respond to a field lubricator move in American waters, the top official who oversaw the containment of the BP lubricator move warned legislature on Friday.
"The underway condition of the Coast Guard ship fast should be of enthusiastic concern to the grownup leaders of this nation," General Thad Allen testified at a House Transportation subcommittee chance on last summer's lubricator move in the Gulf of Mexico.
Allen said two of the three ice breakers do not impact and decisions on future resource for the fast continuing to be delayed. "Nobody is conversation most the ship aptitude problem," he said.
Similar concerns most icebreakers were upraised by the primary statesmanly commission that looked into the BP lubricator move and government offshore production regulations.
Allen said underway stock is inadequate to hold comprehensive salutation and feat dealings soured Alaska's North Slope, eliminate for lubricator business facilities at Dead Horse and Prudhoe Bay.
"Point Barrow, the exclusive positioning near to the new Beaufort and Chukchi Sea engage areas, has limited access and no ability to hold large-scale operations," he said.
Allen said the closest opening with any power to handle delivery ships is Nome, but it is limited to vessels with hulls that don't go more than 21 feet beneath the liquid line.
(Reporting by blackamoor Doggett; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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