Oil Carrying Vessels – Marine Pollution at its Best
For the first ever commercial oil spill that one can recall is the incident when the tanker Torrey Canyon ran aground off Cornwall on March 18, 1967 in the United Kingdom spilling 80,000 tones (119,000 barrels) of crude. Though this oil spill happened way back in 1967 the scenario today is also pretty much the same. Though the recent , Gulf oil spill and the Singapore tanker oil spill may not entirely be caused by the vessels, it just calls our attention to the very notable fact, pollution from vessels.
According to a report released in 1980, of the 3.2 million tonnes of oil released into the ocean, almost half of it was from vessels. This estimation will help you get an idea on how grave this issue is. Accidental oil spills from tankers and commercial vessels, deliberate or operational discharges from commercial vessels, grounded and abandoned vessels are some of the most common.
Vessels also play a significant role in increasing global warming as over 90 percent of the global trade is carried through ships. It is estimated that ships in particular would be accountable for about 40% of the air pollution over land in addition to the 3.5% to 4% of all climate change emissions.
Discharge of ballast water when loading and unloading of cargo near the port is a major reason for pollution near the coasts. Apart from contaminating the sea with tar balls the ballast water also threatens ecology by introducing foreign species of organisms into the water. The discharged water also contains human effluents which when released can cause serious damage to the environment.
One simple method that can minimize marine pollution to a great extent is the usage of eco-friendly bioremediation product like Oil Gone Easy S-200 to clean the oily bilge water and immediate oil spill remediation in case of accidental oil spills.
