Similar projects are also being carried out near Fort Lauderdale in Florida and close to Brest on the west coast of France a stretch of coastline that is notoriously dangerous for oil tankers.

ECONOMIST: Lagrangian coherent structures

Meanwhile, European action against Iran means that oil tankers insured by companies operating in the EU as are nine out of ten vessels in the global fleet and carrying Iranian oil will lose their coverage if they continue.

ECONOMIST: Another leap. Where next?

And it will try to get around sanctions by turning its oil tankers which are not currently sanctioned into de facto floating bank accounts, for a regime which has long treated terror networks and munitions as a higher priority than putting bananas and rice on the table.

FORBES: Iran Sanctions: A Tale of Two Fleets

The European Commission and International Maritime Organisation have ruled that single-hulled tankers must be taken out of service by 2010 the original deadline of 2015 was brought forward after the Prestige oil spill in 2002 which means that at least 1, 400 tankers will need to be broken up.

ECONOMIST: Monitor