With 71% of our planet’s surface covered by the oceans, humanity is making best use by transporting 80% of goods by ship. However, marine life is being severely prejudiced, and with rising sea levels, ocean acidification, acid rain, chemical contamination, eutrophication and more dead zones, the shipping industry is being called into question for pollution and jeopardy to the ecosystem.
So clean and sustainable shipping is rightly the new goal for every maritime nation, and MARPOL Annex V plays a significant role in steering policies in aid of conservation of the marine environment. But the existing framework is not sufficient to make current use of the seas dovetail with adequate conservation of marine life. Moreover, without a phased implementation of new policies, we can’t expect our industry to change overnight. That’s why systematic development, by adopting new provisions, technologies and laws, is needed. And before going into the appropriate measures to better preserve marine life, we must first identify where the current system is failing.
Unintentional pollution by ships through collision or other accident is inevitable and can only be addressed by risk management, precautions and prompt action after an incident. However, pollution is also caused intentionally.
Waste: firstly we should focus on waste from ships i.e. dredged material, sewage, greywater, bilge oil and plastics, all of which are continuously dumped into our oceans, causing serious harm to the marine environment.
Ballast water: pollution from this is often ignored, but considering its impact on the ecosystem it’s a great environmental threat. Ballast water obviously works as an integral part of a ship’s operation by helping to maintain stability, but wherever it is released non-native species can be introduced into the ecosystem. This is currently considered as the principal cause of invasive species in marine environments.
Air pollution: the use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) makes this worse by releasing harmful pollutants during the combustion process. As a result, acidification of water is increasing and this is another serious threat to marine life.
Sound pollution: cargo vessels generate a cacophony of underwater noise, sometimes reaching up to 190 decibels – which is far louder than a jet taking off, and is more like a rocket lifting off, or a shotgun blast – and this has a terrible impact on whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals who rely on sound for navigation, communication and finding food.
Phased implementation of reduction of pollution
The shipping industry cannot change overnight, or just by enacting a few new laws, and without practical and also long-term plans we cannot adequately combat these various types of pollution from ships. So I believe that we need to take an iterative approach towards reducing pollution, and here outline both the initial steps and the long-term action.
Waste From ships – a Zero Dumping policy
MARPOL Annex X already sets out regulations for the prevention of pollution from shipboard waste, so the initial step has already been taken. But such pollution is still happening and we need something better, and that is a Zero Dumping policy. Though ambitious, eliminating altogether the disposal of waste into landfills, incinerators or waterways is something that is already being undertaken by Germany, Sweden and Austria.
As well as being undoubtedly the best way to reduce environmental damage from this source, a Zero Dumping policy also aids sustainability. Valuable resources can be reused by recycling, thus decreasing dependence on virgin, source materials. In the near future, the scarcity of natural resources will be one of the main issues in trade, and recycling and reuse will be a forward-thinking and highly effective policy for the shipping industry.
But the drawbacks must be considered, and that is maybe why other countries, such as Norway and China, have not yet brought in such steps. The transition needs advanced recycling facilities, composting programs and a robust waste collection system. These processes are complicated, need advanced technology and most importantly they are expensive, with “traditional” dumping much less costly and far easier. Moving to a system which costs more will of course have a knock-on price impact, and may result in price hikes all over the world. But if we do not start planning for it and gradually create the infrastructure, we will soon have to pay the far higher price of irredeemably polluting the oceans.
In my view we need to start planning right now and create the necessary facilities so we can have a Zero Dumping policy in place by 1 January 2040.
Alternatives to HFO
Much progress has been made but our industry is still not yet prepared to supply alternative fuels worldwide, and the cost of the new engines that can use them is a major factor. But sustainability is ever more important and we have no option but to adopt the new fuels gradually but as soon as possible, and meanwhile (to any extent that we cannot use alternatives) wherever possible use MGO and MDO rather than HFO.
Biofuels like vegetable oil, algae methanol, hydrogen and ammonia-based fuels are among the emerging alternatives, and though we do not yet have large-scale production worldwide, this kind of fuel pollution will be near zero when we do.
Reduction of underwater sound pollution
Immediate steps are slow steaming, optimization of routes and power management. All create some inconvenience, but they can save a great many species from being, in effect, tortured by sound pollution.
The ultimate solution is advanced ship design and technology, such as blade-shaped quieter propellers with contra rotation. There is also hydrodynamic hull optimization and installation of vibration dampening mounts between engines.
Conclusion
Research and development, in every sector of shipping, has a vital role in the blue economy. A Zero Dumping policy, alternatives to HFO and advanced noise-cancelling technology are not easy to implement, but we are on the edge, as the marine ecosystem is being destroyed and ocean life is at risk. Long-term planning is needed so that seaborne trading can stop hurting marine Mother Nature.
Muhammad Saiful Islam, Third Engineer, QUEEN OF DORIA
