SUPERSHIP by Noel Mostert

[Chip Haynes]

So I found this book, written in the ealry 1970's, at the local library book store for a buck or so. Worth every penny and more. It's all about the big oil tankers. The author got to ride one from Europe to the Middle East and back again. Wow. If you were ever wondering about the weak link in the oil chain, this has to be it. A fascinating read.

(I only wish there were photos, but there are none.)

[SabreKai]

Yes, especially the part about one engine, one shaft and one propellor. Single bottoms, and a mile and a half to stop the sucker at full astern.

Even though they've made it law to have double bottoms now in the wake of the Exxon Valdez, they are all still disasters looking for a place to happen. If you want to read another good one, try finding "The Deadly Frost" by Terrence Moan. Its about an LPG tanker that springs a leak in NYC harbour. Fun..... WOW!


Sabre
69 days n a wake up.

[Chip Haynes]

Yeah, the one motor/one prop thing is jus too cheap. (Would you want to fly a single engine plane along the same route?) This book is a real eye-opener, even written over 30 years ago as it was.

[Chip Haynes]

Ok, so I finished "SUPERSHIP" last night, and even though Mostert spent the bulk of the book harping on the environmental issues of global bulk oil transport (and rigthfully so), he did wrap it up talking about the very limited future of oil. He was surprsingly cognizant of peak oil for someone writing back in the early 70's. Of course, that brought out the obvious: That even though many people were aware of peak oil back then, no one did much of anything about it.

And still aren't, even now.

It was an interesting read. I'm glad I found it.

[Katz]

Ok, so I finished "SUPERSHIP" last night, and even though Mostert spent the bulk of the book harping on the environmental issues of global bulk oil transport (and rigthfully so), he did wrap it up talking about the very limited future of oil. He was surprsingly cognizant of peak oil for someone writing back in the early 70's. Of course, that brought out the obvious: That even though many people were aware of peak oil back then, no one did much of anything about it.

And still aren't, even now.

It was an interesting read. I'm glad I found it.

Without new discoveries since the 70's we would have been out of oil a while ago. I expect they to keep finding more oil, at least of the deepwater or heavy variety. Sometimes i wonder, could there be oil like in the middle of the atlantic ocean or it concentrates near the cost? The earth is 70% water, is that water endowed with as much oil as the land?

[Jonathan_Byron]

The earth is 70% water, is that water endowed with as much oil as the land?

Maybe, but even if it is, it is more difficult and more expensive to extract it from under the oceans.

I'm guessing that there is generally less petrocarbon per square mile under the ocean, but my guess might be wrong. 

[Chip Haynes]

"The earth is 70% water"

No, 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water. Big difference.

And it all comes down to ERoEI. Deep water oil deposits are going to be very expensive to extract, and may not be worth the time, effort and expense, no matter what the price of oil.

Eventually, those tankers will have little to tank.