Final answer:
The primary concern with a broken-down oil tanker is the potential for an oil spill, with severe environmental impacts, in addition to the significant risk of fire given crude oil's high energy content when burned.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary concern when an oil tanker's engines have broken down is the potential for an oil spill and the resultant environmental damage. Clean-up efforts for oil spills are challenging, costly, and the environmental impact can be devastating for the ecosystem. When oil tankers encountered trouble in regions like the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, their leaks posed serious threats to desert ecosystems, endangering the survival of species such as the Arabian leopard, the mountain gazelle, and the Arabian oryx. This poses a significant risk to biodiversity and the health of marine environments.
Additionally, oil tankers also pose a substantial fire risk. Due to the high energy content of crude oil, fires on oil tankers can release enormous amounts of energy, making them difficult to extinguish. When crude oil burns, each liter releases approximately 2.80 × 107 J of energy. Discussing the complexities of extinguishing such a fire involves calculating the amount of water necessary to absorb the energy from burning crude oil and considering that crude oil is less dense than water, leading to complications as the oil floats on top of the water, creating a barrier to firefighting efforts.
Given this context, beyond immediate fire hazards and the potential to leak millions of gallons of oil into the ocean, as exemplified by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there are strategic concerns regarding the global dependency on petroleum, underscored by visits from U.S. military strategists to the author. Going back in history, oil's role has evolved from being a simple lubricant to becoming essential for powering internal combustion engines, highlighting its importance in modern industry and transportation.