A somewhat recent WSJ.com article noted that “eight of the 12 worst oil spills to occur world-wide since the beginning of 2001 have involved single-hull vessels [and] Exxon Mobil Corp. itself continues to ship large volumes of oil in single-hull tankers, particularly in Asia.”

Double-hull oil tankers are safer. For example, “it was asked to calculate how much less crude oil would have been spilled had the Exxon Valdez been built with a double, rather than single, bottom; the single-hull option was still legal at the time, but ill-advised.” According to marine engineer Rik van Hemmen “about 50 percent less than the 11 million gallons spilled.” To illustrate this assertion the image shows the effect of bottom damage on a single hull vessel versus a double hull vessel. Maybe the Exxon Mobil Corp. should use some of its record profits to upgrade its fleet to the status quo.