Study Backs Up Mayor's LNG Tanker Concerns

BOSTON -- Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has been outspoken about the potential consequences of a terrorist strike on an liquefied natural gas tanker, and Friday, a report prepared by federal scientists backed him up.

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Janet Wu Reports On Study

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that the study compared a fuel-oil fire with an LNG fire and concluded that an LNG fire would be much more destructive.

Distrigas, who owns the tankers that come into Boston Harbor, insisted their research shows there would be minimal danger if their tankers were attacked. But Boston's mayor disagrees.

"The situation is we don't know when it is going to happen. And I'm not an alarmist, but if it did happen, would we have the equipment to deal with this issue?" said Menino.

Menino commissioned his own report on LNG tankers in Boston Harbor that concluded that emergency preparedness was severely limited by the lack of critical input from Distrigas and the United States Coast Guard as well as the lack of critical data regarding potential thermal radiation hazards or anticipated heat exposure.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor James Fay said an attack on an LNG tanker could be devastating.

"If it should occur, there would be a very, very large scale fire -- bigger than anything seen anywhere. Because of the size of the fire, that hot thermal radiation can move to much greater distances and still be harmful," said Fay.

Fay also said the heat could instantly affect homes and people within a half-mile radius of the fire. But Distrigas said such an attack to their tankers is highly unlikely.

"We live in the real world, not in the academic world. In the real world, you have an 1,000-foot ship with two steel hulls and two other container systems before you get to the cargo. So, we don't assume -- you can look at things from an academic standpoint, and an academic standpoint, as we see it, is only looking at half of it," said Distrigas representative Rick Grant.

The latest report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration doesn't address the likelihood of a successful attack, but Menino is still not satisfied with Distrigas' arguments.

"They'll tell you they have a double hull and tanks and all that stuff, but what about coming from the air? There are all different ways (that) there can be an attack on an LNG tanker," said Menino.

Distrigas insists there is no safer way to bring LNG into the Boston area.