Arthur, you have several posts about being bothered by noise. Portland decided years ago to be a working port, where men and women could make a living. Those who decide to live near an industrial area, which this port is, must accept any noise that industrial area generates.

We live very close to Amtrak and the airport. These industrial units were here before we bought this house; they make noise when I wish they didn't; but they bring dollars and employment to Portland; so do the tankers and the port. It is immaterial that the industrial noise comes from South Portland; it comes from the port; it is a good clean noise that means employment and dollars to the Portland and the Maine economy.

A complaint was made by condo members in Illinois whose condo building was built next to a cow and pig farm.

Every 10 years, the farmer spread the pig and cow manure on a different part of his farm, and one year, he spread it near the condos. The condo association filed suit against the farmer. The condo association ended up with their suit thrown out of court and were held responsible for the farmer's $50,000 legal bills.

This is not the sound of "compressed air" being pumped "into the ships' tanks." Have you thought this through? Do you know how much pressure it would take to force heavy crude oil up a pipeline and out of a tank? The cargo tanks would rupture before there was enough pressure to "displace the oil." (REMEMBER: You can compress gases, such as air, but you CANNOT COMPRESS A LIQUID) This idea is so wrong and misguided, I don't even know where to start trying to help you understand.
A tanker has multiple tanks, and in each tank is a pump, the intake of which is at the bottom of the tank. This pump, which is driven by either its own pump engine or hydraulics, is what sucks the cargo out of the tanks, and into the pipeline to shore. There is in no way, EVER, any "compressed air" pumped into the cargo tanks on an OIL TANKER!
Think about it! Oil is flammable, correct? What does fire need to burn? Oxygen. And what is in "compressed air"? Oxygen. So do you really think that these oil tankers would be putting together a potentially explosive mixture, on purpose?
There is, however a gas which is pumped into the cargo tanks as the cargo is pumped out. It is an inert gas. Here is an except from the wikipedia entry on inert gas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert_gas):

"On oil tankers inert gas (IG) is used to prevent the atmosphere in cargo tanks or bunkers from coming into the explosive range. IG keeps the oxygen content of the tank atmosphere below 8% (on crude carriers, less for product carriers and gas tankers), thus making any air/hydrocarbon gas mixture in the tank too lean to ignite. IG is most important during discharging and during the ballast voyage when more hydrocarbon vapour is likely to be present in the tank atmosphere."

This gas is produced by a dedicated Inert Gas Generator, which is pretty quiet, save for the fans and refrigeration system.

The only "very loud rattling sound" I can think of coming from a tanker, would be from the PV valves on the tanks. The PV valve is the Pressure/Vacuum relief valve, which prevents a buildup of pressure, or vacuum in the cargo tanks, which could cause the tanks to rupture, or collapse. These usually release either the pressure or the vacuum at about 4PSI and -4PSI respectively (for those who don't know, PSI measures pressure, and it stands for Pounds per Square Inch). So this blows your compressed air theory out of the water.

As fas as "using another unloading technology," there is but one such "technology" as I mentioned earlier, and that is a pump.

In case you have any doubts about any of this information, feel free to research it, and please before you make any outrageous statements concerning things you aren't familiar with, do a little research. It helps.

And maybe next time you call the Pipeline's office, be kind, ask questions, and see if they can help you understand what these noises are, instead of demanding that they stop this infernal racket immediately!

Responding to comments that have been made about this blog entry:

* Living on a somewhat rural island several miles from the pipeline unloading area, we don't think of ourselves as being in the middle of a working waterfront where we need to accept the local bang and clang.

* What I wrote about compressed air being used to push oil out of the ship came directly from the dispatcher I spoke with at the pipeline company. It may not be correct, but it's not "my" theory.

* I was quite kind, did ask questions, and wanted to understand. My conversations with both the dispatcher, and with the pipeline company president, were cordial. But those conversations did not produce helpful results. The noise returns, periodically. I was led to believe in all the conversations that it can be significantly reduced or eliminated. We're still waiting.

Arthur Fink,

Here's the solution to your problem.

http://www.earplugstore.com/reusable_consumer_plugs.htm

Simple.

Hello Arthur: I congratulate you on your leadership concerning noise pollution. Noise pollution is increasingly being recognized as a health issue, not only with hearing damage, but also for other problems.
I hope that the pipeline officials are able to find a quieter way to unload the oil tankers. Take care. Andy.