With the daily press reports concerning the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Tech Century turned to one of the world’s foremost experts on marine spills and cleanup, Dave Usher, Chairman and Founder of Marine Pollution Control located on Jefferson Avenue, in Detroit. Marine Pollution Control (MPC) was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1967 and was incorporated a year later as one of the first oil and hazardous materials spill response organizations in the world. Since that time, the company has maintained its role as a leader in the field of environmental services, and has taken an active part in many of modern history’s most serious pollution incidents including in 1976 when the Argo Merchant ran aground off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and again when the Amoco Cadiz broke apart and sank near Brest, France, in 1978 (the largest oil spill on record at that date). MPC was also involved in the successful transfer of over 40 million gallons of oil from the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989 and provided expertise to the U.S. Coast Guard in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.
TC: How does it happen that one of the world’s most prominent marine spill response companies is located in Detroit?
Usher: Detroit is the center of the world; you just need an aircraft to reach areas of concern. Marine Pollution Control was founded in 1967, really before the there were any Federal Regulations on pollution. I was inspired to create MPC following the response to the first real major oil spill, the wreck of the tanker Torrey Canyon, off of the coast of Cornwall, England, in March of 1967. My driving interest in this field is really out of environmental concern. My father had a salvage oil business in the early part of the 20th century, and like a lot of kids at the time, I rode along with him and helped out on his route. Usher Waste Oil became the Usher Oil Company, and if my father were alive today, he would be considered an environmentalist.
TC: We live on an inland ocean. Are there tankers and oil spills in our area?
Usher: Absolutely. We have tankers and barges and ships of all kinds sailing up and down our waters every day. Many of the tankers in our area carry chemicals, rather than oil, but they are still subject to spills and clean-up. Our local spills tend to be smaller and many originate on land and then leak into tributaries. The international ships in our area are piloted by local pilots who have good local knowledge and tend to stay out of trouble.
TC: Is there a difference between working on salt water and fresh water?
Usher: The main difference is in the density of the water which affects how the oil or other chemicals react. It affects the response from a technical standpoint, but there is not that great of a difference. When very warm oil meets cold water, the result can sometimes integrate into what we call a “chocolate mousse,” and that will sink to the bottom rather than float on top. If you have seen the pictures from the Gulf, you can tell from the reddish-brown color of the oil that it is crude mixed with methane and other gasses.
TC: Who calls you when a spill occurs?
Usher: It depends. Many times it is the vessel or property owner. Sometimes it is law enforcement, and we have a standing arrangement with the Coast Guard to respond even prior to the “RP” or responsible party being identified or notified. We have equipment stationed in 19 areas around the globe, so we are pretty much ready to go anywhere at any time.
TC: Are you involved in the current Gulf oil spill?
Usher: We have some equipment on site and involved, but no personnel.
TC: What is your take on the situation down there?
Usher: BP is a large corporation and at times has had problems with things falling through the cracks. Certainly the capping of the well is within BP’s expertise, but the clean up should be left to those who do clean up as a profession. The current response is being driven more by politics and the media than by the professional demands of the situation. For example, the use of the local fishermen to work the response plays well locally, but does not bring the true professional experience required to effectively manage the situation.
TC: Will this affect us locally?
Usher: Not directly, but what will happen, and what has happened every time there is a major spill, is that regulations will increase and government oversight will tighten. The industry itself may learn a few things about working at depth and blow out protection, and those things are likely to improve. This situation occurred because our government felt comfortable with what it was being told by BP and the other on-site partners. The relationship with the industry may have become too trusting and too cozy. There was a lack of enforcement, and a lack of on-site inspection. Again, those things are likely to change.
TC: Is there a lesson to be learned?
Usher: Yes, a situation like this demands that the best professionals in the industry should be brought in to manage the spill and the clean-up. That simply is not happening there. Again, local politics are driving the clean-up more than industry professionals. Everyone currently involved has another agenda. There needs to be neutral people involved who are concerned simply with the spill and the clean-up.
TC: Assuming the leak gets stopped soon, how long will the clean-up take?
Usher: Likely 2 – 3 years. It depends on how the lines of defense are constructed and what new technologies might be developed to speed things along.
TC: Is there anything we can do locally?
Usher: Write your Senators and Representatives and demand that more action be taken and at higher levels. Again, there are resources in the country such as MPC that have the experts, personnel, and the equipment needed that are not being brought in to do the job at this point.
