Know The Facts
Weaver's Cove would like to share these important facts to give you a better understanding of the safety and history of LNG and the proposed Weaver's Cove terminal.
Fact 1
With more than 55,000 tanker voyages undertaken since LNG was first transported by sea, no member of the public has been injured or killed as the result of an incident or accident involving LNG shipping.
Fact 2
With more than 55,000 tanker voyages undertaken since LNG was first transported by sea, there has never been a major spill.
Fact 3
In the past 60 years, no member of the public anywhere in the world has died as the result of an LNG incident or accident.
Fact 4
There are five LNG terminals in Tokyo Bay, one of the most crowded harbors in the world. LNG tankers have been entering the Bay for 35 years and they now number about 400 per year. There has never been a single incident or accident in connection with LNG in Tokyo Bay that resulted in injury or death to any member of the public, or any damage to the public's property.
Fact 5
There has been an LNG facility operating without incident on Bay Street in Fall River for more than 35 years. The Weaver's Cove project will be technically far more advanced, though on a larger scale.
Fact 6
As a liquid, LNG cannot explode or burn because it contains no oxygen to react with the fuel, nor is it under pressure when it is transported or stored.
Fact 7
LNG vapors in an open environment cannot explode. To create an explosion, LNG vapors would need to be mixed with air and be in a confined space (i.e. inside a room in a building). In the remote event of an LNG spill from the facility or a tanker, there would be no explosion.
Fact 8
LNG tankers have four layers of protection: outer hull, inner hull, primary LNG container and secondary LNG container. There is ballast space between the inner and outer hull, and thick insulation between the primary and secondary containers.
Fact 9
There has never been an incident anywhere in the world where LNG escaped into the water from a ship's cargo tanks.
Fact 10
General security and operating procedures that prevent security breaches and manage safety risks include: tightly controlled access to LNG facilities and ships; general security zones around ships; separation distances around facilities and equipment; Coast Guard surveillance; tugboat assistance; constant communication; continuity of crew with strict selection and security procedures, and frequent inspections. Where local law enforcement agencies are used, this will be done at no cost to local communities.
