Tankers Full of Trouble: The Perilous Journey of Alaskan Crude

This was a very entertaining book that kept the readers interest from page one to the end. The author takes us into a world that very few people know much about and does it in a very engaging way. The book details what life is like on the oil supertankers that move oil between Alaska and Washington. The bit that makes this book so great is that this part of the world's oceans is one of the worst in terms of weather and rough seas, kind of like the Perfect Storm all year around. Because of this hard and dangerous environment these ships are built to take the punishment and the crews have very difficult jobs. The author does a great job in describing the ships, the routes and the dangers they face. We also get an inside view of what it is like to work in one of the most dangerous jobs in the world of shipping. What struck me was that there are a number of foreign flagged ships that are working in this area and these countries and ships have far fewer safety regulations then the U.S. so a good number of these sailors get washed over board or injured in other ways. This is just a good old fashion interesting and exciting book that would be enjoyed by many readers, not just readers that have an interest in the oil business. I suggest you give this book a try, you will be glad you did.

It's hard to imagine a better explanation of the issues of tanker hazards. Nalder shows that it's more complicated than just requiring double hulls, that the very nature of the shipping industry means ships will be built and operated ever closer to the edge, and the push to cut costs will continue to result in spills, leaks, and disasters. The mind-boggling size of the supertankers itself causes accidents: hosing out the cavernous hulls causes clouds to form, causing, literally, lightning inside the hull, which has caused explosions. The writing is clear, concise, and renders technical issues clear. If you live in a coastal state, or drive a car, you owe it to yourself to read this book.