The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "tankers" ...
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The Human Factor
16 years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill efforts to reduce crew work hours, crack down on alcohol use and improve tug escorts are being evaded or undermined. The industry and regulators are relying on new tankers they say are far less susceptible to trouble. But the investigation revealed that spills have gone unreported, alcohol is still being consumed on the ships and risky behavior is still characteristic in the industry.
Tags: oil spills; environmental issues; Alaskan waters; petroleum transportation; oil transportation; Prince William Sound; Department of Ecology
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The Lawless Sea
This eight-month investigation unveiled the "tangled web of responsibility" behind the 2002 sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the coast of Spain and France. The investigation uncovered the various international stakeholders, including a U.S.- based inspection company, that failed to stop the faulty ship from launching. Ultimately, the investigation shows that, even though it was known that the ship was not seaworthy, the secrecy and lack of accountability surrounding the shipping industry allowed it to operate.
Tags: oil; oil spill; American Bureau of Shipping; international reporting; shipping industry; Lloyd's List; International Transport Federation
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"Trucking food and wastewater"
This investigation uncovered a trucking company that hauled orange juice and other citrus products in tankers used earlier to haul slightly radio-active wastewater from a state environmental cleanup project. The investigation noted a federal law passed in 1990 to prevent truckers from carrying food and nonfood products in the same tanks, which prompted both an FDA investigation and Congressional efforts to better enforce the Sanitary Food Transportation Act.
Tags: trucking; tankers; wastewater; food safety; shipping; transportation; sanitation
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Airport Security
In this report, CBS investigates security lapses at the back doors of "nearly every" U.S. airport. As part of the investigation, CBS correspondents document the "open flow of non-inspected vehicles through the back gates at Chicago's O'Hare Airport". Further south at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, CBS records their correspondent driving through the open and unguarded gates into secure areas and walking up to gasoline tanker trucks and propane gas tanks.
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"Good value or bad risk: Industry officials point to long-term good safety record of liquefied natural gas terminals, but reports and experts say worst-case scenarios are catastrophic should an accident occur"
This investigation found that while federal, state and industry officials have noted the safety record of liquefied natural gas terminals, a common shipping accident involving a tanker could be catastrophic, according to federal documents and scientific studies. The newspaper began its investigation after ExxonMobil Corp. announced plans to build a $600 million terminal near a residential suburb of Mobile, Al.
Tags: LNG; liquefied natural gas; natural gas; energy; Department of Energy; Federal Regulatory Energy Commission; shipping; environment; ExxonMobil; harbor
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"Under the Radar" and "Stormy Weather"
These stories revealed crucial information undermining the U.S. Air Force's controversial plan to lease 100 air refueling tankers from Boeing-a deal, which, if completed, would have cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars more than if traditional purchasing were used. "Under the Radar" deals with documents showing how Boeing pushed a plane that even some military officials doubted was right for the job. It also revealed how the Air Force relied on Boeing to shape the basic performance requirements for the tanker and let the company devise the financial structure of the costly, unusual lease agreement. "Stormy Weather" discloses a perverse effect of the derailing of the lease proposal.
Tags: U.S. Air Force; air refueling tankers; Boeing; taxpayers; Air Force officials; Congress; White House; Pentagon; White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card; endorsement; tanker planes; Lockheed C-5 transport; Lockheed C-17 transport; Continental Airlines; lobbying campaign; European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co.; Senate Commerce Committee; EADS; Congressional Budget Office; Defense Department; Air Force Air Mobility Command; Fleet Viability Board; General Accounting Office
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The New Supertanker Plague
Hundreds of oil-bearing ships have faced destruction in the form of "super rust," a virulent form of corrosion that is "the inevitable result when unforgiving chemistry meets the harsh economics and tangled industry politics of transporting fossil fuels." Wired Magazine examines the root causes of such "hyper-accelerated corrosion," and determines among other things that proper maintenance in re-coating the steel ships would effectively combat the problem. However, "first-class ship maintenance has become increasingly rare," as ships change hands frequently, and find themselves in the hands of owners who "tend to be less interested in maintaining their vessels than maximizing the return on their investments." The article details the scientific processes of corrosion, examines the recent history and challenges facing supertankers, and investigates where the industry -- and its aging ships -- might be headed.
Tags: oil; petroleum; supertankers; super tankers; tankers; ships; rust; corrosion; Erika; Castor; Valdez; shipping; transport
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Our Troubled Sound
The Post-Intelligencer reports on pollution problems in Puget Sound, the nation's second largest estuary and "an ecosystem spinning out of control." The major findings are that scientists have documented decline in keystone species; a state program to control urban runoff is far behind schedule; three out of four businesses are in breach of water-quality regulations or permits; precautions to prevent a possible oil spill in an area where many tankers sail are inadequate; overall, Superfund sites in the area are not being cleaned up. Many of the findings are based on analysis of databases obtained from government agencies.
Tags: environment; ecology; marine organisms; wildlife; endangered species; stormwater; toxic waste; contamination; polychlorinated biphenyls; PCB
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Derailed Lives
"A train derailment and fatal chemical spill on Jan. 18, 2002, in Minot, N.D., exposed the vulnerability of our nation's transportation of common but hazardous agricultural chemical," the Forum reports. The story depict the disaster -- known as the largest spill of anhydrous ammonia, a farm fertilizer -- in the world but also investigates its causes. The main findings are that pre-1989 railroad tanker cars are susceptible to puncturing in accidents in cold weather; tracks often contain a number of defects; and rescue workers and hospitals are ill-prepared for disasters.
Tags: emergencies; hazmat; hazardous materials; lung injuries; death; acid burns; railroad transportation; safety; Canadian Pacific Railway
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Danger on the Water
After the Exxon Valdez fouled the Alaskan coastline with 11 million gallons of oil in 1989, federal lawmakers enacted some of the strictest spill prevention measures in the world. But safety advocates say attempts by the worldwide shipping industry to shave costs and reduce liability are undermining the effectiveness of those spill prevention measures.
Tags: oil spills; tankers; pollution; coast guard