WATCHING WASHINGTON INSURING TANKERS

With Patrick Crow A year ago, over the objections of the tanker industry, Congress passed the tough Oil Pollution Act (OPA). A reaction to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the law sharply increased shipowners' liability for spills and ordered a transition to double hull tankers in U.S. waters. The tanker and inland barge industries have loudly complained that the requirements are too strict. The decibel level rose after the Coast Guard issued proposed rules designed to implement the law (OGJ,