The 20th Triennial International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) on Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Restoration is ready to begin. Over 2,000 people from 50 countries are expected to attend the technical sessions and view more than 250 exhibits. The Conference theme for 2008 is: “Creating a Culture of Preparedness”

The interesting part of IOSC:

• to showcase on-water demonstrations of state of the art spill response technologies on Monday May 5th at the Convention Center’s riverfront.
• demonstrations are scheduled to showcase aerial, on-water, dockside, and static displays from the US Coast Guard, US Navy, and local, regional, as well as national response companies.
• an exciting opportunity to see real response crews and equipment in use on the Savannah River.

When ?

May 04 - 08, 2008

Where ?

At Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, Savannah, Georgia, USA

The IOSC Conference schedule is available here. More details are here at iosc.

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Oceans can no longer be exploited and neglected. Marine debris kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year. Ocean Conservancy is on a global mission to save the oceans for more than thirty years. Ocean Conservancy envisions a future in which no place on earth is ignored in the fight against debris. The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is a fundamental aspect of this vision.

On September 15, 2007 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) was undertaken worldwide. The Cleanup saw an increase in international representation in 2007, with 76 countries holding a cleanup event compared to the 66 who participated in 2006. This year’s cleanup will be held on September 20, 2008.

The interesting features of ICC 2007 are:

• more than 378,192 volunteers participated in the cleanup operation
• volunteers were from 76 Countries and 45 States
• removed 6,075,698.4 pounds of debris from over 33,426.45 miles of shoreline
• approximately 182 pounds of trash collected per mile of shoreline
• removed an average of 16 pounds of trash per person
• volunteers removed nearly 2 million cigarettes. An average of 5 cigarettes per volunteer.
• 81 birds, 63 fish, 49 invertebrates, 30 mammals, 11 reptiles, and one amphibian were found entangled in debris during the cleanup
• 8,321 divers took part in underwater cleanup efforts and cleaned up 161,513 pounds of debris over 1,000 miles of underwater terrain. An average of 20 pounds of trash collected per diver.
• 247,099 debris items related to derelict fishing gear were removed during the cleanup. This includes crab/lobster/fish traps, fishing line, fishing lures/light sticks, fishing nets and rope

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The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), is a global body of more than 100 environmental Non Governmental Organizations. Since 1978, ASOC has been working to protect the environment of Antarctic continent including the surrounding islands and the Southern Ocean.

As the shipping traffic is increasing in the Antarctic continent, the environmental hazards are also increasing. Some of the accidents reported during the last two years in the region are:

• the sinking of M/S Explorer, a commercial tourism vessel, in November 2007
• the grounding of commercial tourism vessel M/V Nordkapp in January 2007
• the grounding of M/V Lybov Orlova in November 2006
• the drifting of M/S Fram on December 30, 2007
• trawler Argos Georgia which lost power on December 23, 2007
• serious accident in Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru in February 2007

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has already designated the Southern Ocean as a special area in 1990. Now considering the increased environmental hazards taking place due to increased shipping traffic, ASOC is approaching the IMO to issue specific guidelines with respect to the following in the region:

• vessel ice-strengthening standards
• banning use of heavier grade fuel oils
• discharges of oily substances, sewage, gray water and waste
• introduction of alien species through ballast water, hull fouling and other pathways
• establishment of a vessel traffic monitoring and information system for vessels operating in the Southern Ocean

Now IMO currently on its 57th session from March 31st to April 4th is expected to address the above issue also.

Click here for more details.

Click here to view a video clip of Antarctica.

Update: April 10

Click here to read IMO’s press briefing no 13, dated April 09, 2008 on ‘Protecting the Antarctic Area from shipping’.

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Marine oil pollutions are showing a rising trend. Whenever there is an oil spill, various governmental and non governmental agencies rush up to contain the spill and to minimize environmental damage. Lot of time and manpower is spent to fight the oil pollution in addition to the damage that takes place. Legal actions are initiated against the shipowners and compensation is paid by the shipowners.

Recent cases are San Francisco Bay oil spill by Cosco Busan and South Korean oil spill by Hebei Spirit. In both the cases legal actions are going on and compensation is being sought. In most of the cases the compensation actually paid by the shipowners are lesser than the compensation claimed in the court of law. Who pays the deficit amount ?

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So far the environmentalists created a global awareness that plastics are a threat to environment. Even the oceans are not spared. Marine mammals and sea birds are the worst affected by plastics pollution. Tons of plastics are floating in the oceans.

When the countries started banning plastic bags, now different views are coming. It is now reported that environmental threat due to plastic bags is exaggerated and there is no scientific evidence to prove this. If plastic bags are not a threat to environment, then plastics used in day to day life in the form of bottles, pouches, containers, cups, trays, cartons, food wraps, straws, tubes, boxes also can not be a threat to environment.

Here is an image, that proves that plastic bottle caps were found in the carcass of layson albatross in the North Pacific region.

Indian cows eat plastic bags also. But then, which is correct ?

• Plastics are a threat or no threat to environment ?
• Plastic bags are to be banned or not to be banned ?

What are your views ?

Update: March 14

Here is a report that proves plastic bags kill Queensland turtles.

Update: March 27 

Here is report from BBC which says plastic waste in the oceans poses a long-term toxic threat.

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Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System, a product of JBF Environmental Technology is a portable, easy to handle, oil recovery unit which can be used from any type of vessel in the polluted area. To provide fast and immediate pollution response, the US Coast Guard has 19 of these systems located nationwide.

JBF DIP500 Skimming System features

• easily converts an existing vessel of opportunity into an advancing oil recovery vessel.
• the system can be easily air lifted in case of an emergency or can be prepositioned in different pollution prone locations.
• uses independent flotation so that skimmer can operate in waves independent of the vessel of opportunity.
• sweep width can be increased by using JBF’s extended sweep system or by an additional containment boom from a second tow vessel.
• the skimming module operates positive displacement screw pumps for transfer of recovered water free oil to storage tanks or to barges or storage bladders in tow.
• can efficiently operate at skimming speed of 1-5 knots.
• can be towed by the vessel while deployed in transit at 7-8 knots.
• can collect oil at the encounter rate during a spill and the maximum oil recovery capacity is 150 tons/hour.
• is designed to operate at high efficiencies even in adverse weather conditions such as waves, wind.

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Automobiles are complying to stricter emission standards since 1990s. Now automobiles are getting ready to meet the latest EURO V and EURO VI limits for road transport in 2009 and 2010.

Now inland water transports are also getting ready to meet these emission standards.

Motor tank vessel ‘Victoria’ is the world’s cleanest ship with low-emissions, high fuel efficiency and environment friendly. The barge is chartered by BP Marine Lubricants on long term basis and is operating in the Port of Rotterdam and Antwerp areas.

The emission reduction techniques used in the vessel are

• Tempomaat: Advising Tempomaat (ATM)
• Clean fuel: low sulphur fuel
• Catalyser: Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)
• PM filter: particulate matter filters.

Click here to know more including the emission reduction results.

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We are able to appreciate the harmful effects of Air Pollution and Noise Pollution in the land. All countries are trying their best to minimise Air and Noise Pollution.

What about Oil Pollution and Underwater Noise Pollution in the Oceans ?

Yes, all countries are trying their best to minimise Oil Pollution. Same efforts are not seen to minimise Underwater Noise Pollution in the Oceans. Underwater Noise Pollution is as harmful as Oil Pollution to marine life. In fact, Ocean Mammal Institute has lot of fact sheets on Underwater Noise Pollution.

Last month, a deep diving dolphin was found dead on the beach of the US Navy’s San Nicolas Island. Similar deaths of other marine species are often reported from different parts of the world. It is reported that the U.S. Navy plans to deploy Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFA) to detect quiet submarines, throughout 80% of the world’s oceans. This implies that US Navy is planning to aid Underwater Noise Pollution in 80% of the world’s oceans and preparing to lay death traps to marine mammals.

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During oil offloading from the Statfjord A platform in the North Sea, about 4400 cubic metres of crude oil was spilled into the sea on the morning of December 12, 2007. The oil spill was due to rupture of loading hose.

An investigation team appointed by StatoilHydro’s management to identify the causes of the oil spill has submitted their report. The report highlights:

• Root cause: is due to inadequate use of process and risk analysis in connection with modifications and change of loading hose.
• Reasons for the loading hose rupture: Rupture in the hydraulic hose of the vessel Navion Britannia caused the vessel’s coupler valve to close quicker than expected. This resulted in a strong pressure surge in the loading hose and ruptured the loading hose.
• Inadequate knowledge of personnel: The resumption of the loading operation after the rupture of the hydraulic hose to the coupler valve was mainly due to inadequate knowledge by the involved personnel of its consequences.
• Inadequate oil flow measurement on board the tanker: The failure to discover the oil spill before approx. 4400 m3 had been spilled was mainly due to inadequate oil flow measurement on board the tanker.
• a similar incident on the Gullfaks field in 2004 has not been adequately followed up.

The investigation team has recommended a number of actions to be taken pertaining to technical, organisational and managerial nature

• within StatoilHydro
• the shipowner Teekay
• the system supplier APL

Failures or accidents do happen by mistakes and we need to learn from mistakes. OldSailor hopes that this report helps to avoid similar incidents in future.

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Reports on marine accidents such as collisions, allisions, grounding and sinking are increasing day by day. The reasons for these accidents may be many such as adverse weather, incompetent ships crew, non compliance of weather forecasts, malfunctioning of navigational equipment, engine failure.

Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) reports two such incidents on January 15:

Refloating of grounded Car Carrier:

• The 9576 tons, grounded Car carrier City Of Sunderland with 642 cars on board was successfully refloated with the assistance of two tugs; the Svitzer Trimley from Harwich and the Grey Test from Felixstowe.
• Engines were successfully restarted after refloating and the vessel is now en route to its original destination of Tees Port.
• The vessel had been en route to Tees Port from Zeebrugge when it ran aground in the early hours of Monday morning (January 14), at the south edge of Happisburgh Sands, 8 miles off the coast between Cromer and Great Yarmouth Norfolk.
• The operation to refloat the City of Sunderland was carried out meticulously.
• During the refloating operation Rescue Helicopter 128 remained on immediate readiness and Caister Volunteer Lifeboat and Cromer RNLI All Weather Lifeboat remained in close safety standby to provide assistance should there be a need.

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December 12

During oil offloading from the Statfjord A platform in the North Sea, about 4,000 standard cubic metres of crude oil was spilled into the sea on the morning of December 12 causing marine pollution. The Statfjord field is located around 200 kilometres west of Bergen, close to the border of the UK continental shelf. Statfjord was discovered by Mobil in 1974, and Statoil took over the operatorship on 01 January 1987. The field is likely to remain in production until 2019.

• The spill near the Statfjord A platform occurred while the Navion Britannia shuttle tanker was taking on oil from a loading buoy.
• NOFO (the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies) was notified about the spill and emergency actions to contain oil spill were initiated. An aircraft from the Norwegian Coastal Administration and a helicopter were deployed to determine the extent of the discharge. The size of the oil slick was 23 square kilometres.
• An oil spill collection vessel arrived on Statfjord in the North Sea in the afternoon and a second is due to be in place on the field before midnight.
• Two additional oil spill collection vessels are scheduled to arrive on the StatoilHydro-operated field on December 13th morning. For the time being, these four vessels – Havila Troll, Havila Runde, Stril Pioner and Far Star – will have to wait for the weather to improve.
• Mechanical oil collection equipment cannot be deployed due to bad weather, with winds of about 45 knots and waves up to seven metres high. All the vessels are outfitted with mechanical systems provided by the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies (Nofo), which comprise booms and skimmers. Havila Troll and Havila Runde are also fitted with dispersant equipment, and using this to help break down the oil is under consideration. Any use of chemicals will be agreed with the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority.
• Observations from aircraft and helicopters indicate that the oil slick is currently about eight kilometres long by one wide. The oil is being driven by the wind towards the north, while the Norwegian coast is about 200 kilometres east of Statfjord.

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Image Source: chinadaily,aolcdn

Yet another oil spill at South Korea that has got devastating effect on marine life owing to marine pollution. Read on to know more about this oil spill.

December 07, Friday:

• A crane mounted on a barge owned by South Korea’s Samsung Corp., collided with Hong Kong registered 146,000-ton tanker, Hebei Spirit carrying about 260,000 tons of crude oil. The collision caused three gashes in the tanker’s hull. Hebei Spirit was in anchorage when she was hit by the industrial barge, which had broken free from its towing lines.
• The incident occurred in the morning about five nautical miles off the coast near Taean, 90 miles southwest of Seoul.
• More than 30 coast guard vessels and four helicopters were deployed to prevent the slick from spreading.
• Booms were set up to contain oil spill but there were fears that oil might overflow depending on the currents. Strong winds and currents spread the oil slick to an area about 1 mile wide and 10 miles long,
• The oil spill of 2.7 million gallons posed a threat to a stretch of scenic coastline 100 km ( 62 miles) south of the capital, Seoul. South Korea’s previously largest spill happened in 1995, when 5,000 tonnes of oil washed onto the country’s southern coast.

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Click to enlarge

Image source:iapscience

A strong storm has hit several ships in the Azov and Black Seas on 11 November 2007. Several crew are missing after at least six Russian vessels have been hit by a storm in the Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov in southern Russia. Two crewmembers have died.

• The 1978-built tanker Volganeft-139,designed primarily for inland and coastal service, loaded with 4,000 metric tons of oil broke apart during a storm on Sunday at the port of Kavkaz in the Sea of Azov in southern Russia. More than 1,000 metric tons of oil has leaked into the sea.The 13-member crew was not hurt in the incident. The tanker, Volganeft-139, was on its way from the port of Azov in the southern Russian region of Rostov to Kerch in Ukraine’s eastern Crimea when high waves broke its hull at around 0445 (0145 GMT) on Sunday.
• The dry cargo ship Nakhichevan loaded with sulfur sank during a storm on Sunday at the Kavkaz port in the Sea of Azov in Russia’s south. Whereabouts of eight sailors is not known.
• The dry cargo ship Volnogorsk carrying 2,000 metric tons of sulfur sank off the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait on Sunday.
• The tanker Volganeft-123, is reported to be in distress and a crack has been found in its hull.
• Also dry cargo vessel, Kovel, is reported to be in distress.
• A sixth ship, a Russian vessel carrying scrap metal, was reported sunk outside the Ukraine port of Sevastopol.
• A Georgian freighter and a Turkish one were also stranded off the nearby Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk.

Surprisingly, all the captains in the strait were warned about the storm at 1715 (1415 GMT) on 10 November. All of them had enough time to leave the dangerous area. Russia and Ukraine have set up headquarters at the level of deputy transport ministers to manage the shipwrecks in the Sea of Azov.

Further details are available at ria novosti

Update:

To view a 53 sec video clip click here.

To view another 58 sec clip click here.

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Image Source: maps-of-china

Thanks to rapid industrialization of China. Most of the Chinese rivers are polluted and coastal areas have become unfit for living.

• China’s eastern and northeastern coasts are dangerously polluted with industrial wastes. Marine life in the coastal area have reached their extinction and sea food industry is worst affected.
• Heavily polluted areas are the mouths of the Yellow, Xiaoqing, and Zhangwei rivers. Unfortunately, 43 of the 53 major waterways that run into Bohai are heavily polluted.
• Approximately every year 5.7 billion tons of toxic waste and 2 billion tons of solid waste find their way to the seas. Quantity of heavy metal content already exceeding the acceptable standard by 2,000 times.
• Residents of coastal belt have started abandoning their ancestral coastal homelands.Legal actions are being initiated on local residents who try to oppose these increasing pollution levels.
• River water which was drinkable in 1995, has now turned poisonous.
• Pollutants to the tune of 9,230 tons were released into the seas daily in early 2007, a 6.7 percent increase over the same period last year.

Progress at what cost? Chinese authorities have to decide.

Source:worldwatch

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Image Source:cgvi.uscg.mil

Incident: 900 foot container ship M/V Cosco Busan Allides With San Francisco Bay Bridge:

07 November 2007:

• The incident has occurred on wednesday at about 0830 hours on an especially foggy morning.
• A Unified Command consisting of US Coast Guard, California Fish and Game Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response and the O’Brien’s Group (contracted by the responsible party) was set up to give quick response.
• Out of estimated oil spill of 58,000 gallons, only 8,000 gallons could be recovered after 12 hours of the incident occurrence.

08 November 2007:

• Due to potential health concerns, Baker Beach, Fort Point, Crissy Field, China Beach, Kirby Cove, Rodeo Beach,
  Muir Beach and Angel Island shoreline were closed to the public.
• More than 200 people were engaged in responding to the CoscoBusan oil spill. Five skimmers in the Bay and three skimmers outside of the Golden Gate Bridge were working to recover spilled oil. 18,000 feet of boom was placed around the Bay Area to protect the Beaches and wildlife. Two overflights were conducted in the morning to evaluate the movement of the spilled oil and to assist in the directing of oil spill response vessels.
• Media tour by boat to the oil spill area to assess response efforts was arranged at 1515 hours.
• The Unified Command for the response efforts to the M/V Cosco Busan has requested the media’s assistance in disseminating phone numbers for the public to provide information on the the movement of oil sheens, as well as any oiled wildlife identified.
• All crewmembers and the Pilot who were onboard the CoscoBusan at the time of the accident were alcohol tested within the required two hour time limit.

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