Statement of Weaver’s Cove Energy in Response to the Rhode Island General Assembly’s Passage of “Bridge Safety” Legislation

Posted on 10 June 2010 Tags: bridge safety &bull Coast Guard &bull lng shipping &bull pilots &bull safety

The “bridge safety” legislation (H-7014B, S-2125A) recently passed by the General Assembly would require any LNG ship to have at least 30′ of clearance under all Rhode Island bridges. This legislation, in fact, has nothing to do with “bridge safety,” but is a blatant attempt to block LNG tanker shipments under the Mt. Hope Bridge to Weaver’s Cove Energy’s proposed facility in Mt. Hope Bay.

In the last 50-plus years, LNG tankers have made over 55,000 voyages and traveled more than 128 million miles without a major incident. LNG has been shipped safely into Tokyo, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, for nearly 40 years. Approximately 400 LNG tankers call on Tokyo Harbor every year without incident.

Closer to home, LNG has been safely shipped through Boston Harbor and under the Tobin Bridge to a terminal in Everett, Massachusetts since 1971. Indeed, the Tobin Bridge has the same vertical clearance as the Mt. Hope Bridge. In 2008, an LNG tanker transited Boston Harbor every five days.

Finally, marine safety and navigation experts from the U.S. Coast Guard and Rhode Island’s licensed ships pilots have both stated that 1’ to 3’ is the accepted international standard for bridge clearance. Nowhere in the world is there any similar requirement for bridge clearance distances, nor is there any rationale for restricting clearance requirements to LNG tankers.

Given the facts it is clear this legislation has nothing to do with “bridge safety.”