Crown LandingIf a spill were to occur, how would the company respond?
A lot of effort is put into facility design and procedures to prevent spills. But if one were to occur, containment systems at the plant would collect the liquid material in a central basin where it could be managed safely using proven emergency response techniques; these include use of high-expansion foam, dry chemical extinguishers, and water sprays.
On the river, BP will have three huge firefighting tugs accompanying the ship. If a leak or spill were to occur, these tugs would use their powerful firefighting equipment (bigger than anything on the river today) to help contain the situation while vapors evaporate. There is no similar plan for any other ships using the river today - ships carrying materials far more hazardous than LNG. Note that there has never been a major leak involving LNG in its 40 years of shipping history (more than 45,000 shipments delivered).
One side benefit is that these firefighting tug boats will be available to respond to emergencies at other facilities along the river - significantly increasing the emergency response capability for the river and port community as a whole.
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