SCARY
DECEMBER 7, 1998
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Coast Guard raises Y2K warning flag
Says problems could spill into oil tankers
BY BOB BREWIN (antenna@fcw.com)
AND ORLANDO De BRUCE (orlando_debruce@fcw.com)
SAN DIEGO -- Year 2000 date-code problems in oil tankers could lead to
an oil spill in a U.S. port or slow the flow of imported oil to U.S.
communities, some of which have "only a three- or four-day supply of
oil,'' the Coast Guard's chief information officer said last week.
Speaking here at the Navy Connecting Technology Conference, Coast Guard
CIO Rear Adm. George Naccara said concerns about computer chips that
control oil pumps on vessels and in on-shore storage facilities could
force the Coast Guard to issue a directive telling tankers "not to
offload cargo on Dec. 31, 1999." The Coast Guard can issue an order
against oil offloading from tankers under its mandate to ensure marine
safety in U.S. coastal waters and ports.
The Coast Guard also is worried about how the Year 2000 problem will
affect the marine transportation industry, especially the 7,000-plus
foreign-flagged vessels, which make more than 80,000 visits a year to
U.S. ports. Over the years, these ships have been automated with
information systems that have allowed ship owners to cut costs by
reducing the size of crews. Today, even the largest tankers can operate
with only a crew of 10.
Naccara said that at this stage the Coast Guard has little knowledge of
the Year 2000 compliance of the numerous embedded systems on ships. But
his concern has captured the attention of White House Year 2000 czar
John Koskinen, who has made the shipping problem "one of his top five
priorities."
Koskinen, chairman of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion,
was unavailable for comment. A council spokesman confirmed that the
problem is among Koskinen's top priorities.
Naccara said the embedded-chip problems in some ships could come close
to halting them dead in the water. "Some [vessels] may have problems
crossing the ocean,'' which also could put a crimp in the nation's oil
supply.
Natasha Brown, a spokeswoman for the International Maritime Organization
in London, said officials in the group's safety division are not aware
of this Year 2000 issue.
Chevron in San Francisco does not anticipate Year 2000 problems to
affect the importing of oil. However, the company will not operate
vessels in restricted water, such as narrow passages or ports, on Dec.
31, 1999, because officials are concerned that on-board systems may
receive contaminated data from systems that are not Year 2000-compliant.
Chevron is testing its 35 tankers -- a process that will take nine days
and cost about $15,000 per tanker.
Officials with other major oil companies and associations could not be
reached for comment.
The Year 2000 marine infrastructure problems extend beyond oil tankers,
Naccara said, to items such as the giant cranes that offload containers
from cargo ships. The Coast Guard also has started to develop
contingency plans to mitigate problems with critical infrastructure
systems, such as the electrical power grid.
Naccara said the Coast Guard has an ongoing "broad outreach effort'' to
provide Year 2000 information to every segment of the marine community,
including briefing the International Maritime Organization and
distributing Year 2000 brochures to foreign-flagged tankers and
recreational boats. Despite these efforts, Naccara said, "I have no
doubt we have great exposure [in the marine transportation environment]
due to the weakness of embedded chips."
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