A CHEAP modification to supertankers could help prevent devastating oil pollution if the vessels sink. The new system makes it quick and easy to empty the tanks if the ship ends up on the seabed.
When a tanker is involved in a collision, runs aground or is damaged in a storm, some of its cargo may spill from ruptured tanks. But the majority of the tanks remain undamaged in most accidents and, if the ship sinks, the oil they contain goes down too.
Oil is normally recovered from a sunken ship by drilling holes into the highest and lowest points…
