What’s all this hysteria about Cabrillo Port anyhow? This is not an attractive terrorist target because they could do little harm to the United States by attacking it. There are few people on board and the damage would be covered by BHP Billiton’s insurance.
If LNG should spill into the ocean it would be like ice being spilled into boiling water, it would quickly disappear. The LNG would immediately gasify and, with natural gas being lighter than air, would rise and be dissipated in the atmosphere. If the gas should find an ignition source, the burning gas, also being lighter than air, would dissipate. Yes, natural gas burns. That’s why we use it to heat are homes and cook our dinners. The hotter it burns the better. More BTU’s for our buck!
In an uncontained environment, such as 14 miles out to sea, there would be no explosion, only a whooshing noise and a flickering flame like we hear and see when we light a gas burner or our furnace kicks on. The size of the LNG ship is specified in terms of football fields long and stories high, as though these are the only dimensions that readers can comprehend. It is still a speck in the ocean. If Cabrillo Port had been anchored out there as a test, without fanfare, chances are that it would never have been an issue or even noticed in the ocean mist. Not to worry.
Jack Singleton