The oceans are often called the highways of life and millions of people depend on them for their survival. The oceans are vital to the wellbeing of commercial fishermen who depend on the oceans to make a living, men who must fish to feed their families, countries who survive by exporting and importing goods, and to the marine life; the whales and sharks, the sea turtles, the corals and all of the other life supported by the oceans. There are many different types of vessels which use the oceans; oil tankers, tug boats, container ships, barges, and passenger ships. While a fairly small percentage of the total industry worldwide, the cruise industry provides more than $25 billion in benefits annually and generates over 295,000 jobs in the U.S. alone. Although there are many laws and regulations internationally, domestically and locally against the dumping of graywater, blackwater, bilge, ballast and garbage into the oceans, cruise lines are still violating the rules and need to be stopped because it is harmful to the marine life, the ecosystem of the oceans and to humans who use the oceans for swimming, fishing and survival.
Considering the nature of marine pollution and the fact that once it enters the waterways and knows no boundaries, many regional treaties and conventions local and international, have evolved over the years. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships or Marpol (short for marine pollution) Convention was signed on February 17, 1973. However, it did not come into force until October 2, 1983. This was due to the fact that the convention required ratification by 15 states, but by 1976 there were only 3 states, which had ratified it. In response to a rash of tanker accidents a conference was held in 1978 on Tanker Safety and Pollution. The measures adopted at this conference were incorporated into the 1973 Marpol Convention. Now called Marpol 73/78 it includes six technical annexes and is considered to be extremely important to the cause of protecting the oceans and the ecosystem of the marine environment. It was designed to minimize pollution of the seas, including dumping, oil and exhaust pollution. “Its stated objective is: to preserve the marine environment through the complete elimination of pollution by oil and other harmful substances and the minimization of accidental discharge of such substances:” (imo.gov). One hundred thirty six countries had signed on to the Convention as of December 31, 2005. If a ship is flagged under a country which has signed on to the Marpol Convention, it is liable to Marpols’ strict requirements no matter where they sail, and the member nation is responsible for any ship registered under them.
In the early 1970’s the United States enacted the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries’ Act (MPRSA) that uses a “comprehensive and uniform waste management system to regulate disposal or dumping of all materials into ocean waters” (Copeland 2). In 1988 the House and Senate passed the Ocean Dumping Ban Act (S. 2030), which made it “unlawful for any person to dump, or transport for the purpose of dumping, sewage sludge or industrial waste into the ocean waters after December 31, 1991” (epa.gov). Under the Ocean Dumping act the following four federal agencies have responsibilities to uphold the regulations: The Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Coast Guard.
Cruise ships can carry over 3,000 passengers and crewmembers, with larger ships being built to carry over 5,000 people not far behind. Cruise ships are known as “floating cities.” They offer every amenity that one can imagine. The types of waste generated and the harm caused to the oceans by these floating cities is measurable.
Graywater is the wastewater from sinks, showers, galleys, laundry and dry cleaning facilities. Phosphates from soaps, shampoos and detergents, fluoride in toothpaste, bacteria from personal hygiene, medical waste, oil and grease from the galleys and dry cleaning fluid are all in the graywater that is dumped into the oceans. The toxicity of these components and oxygen that is taken away from the creatures that live in the oceans are huge. As noted in a report by Kira Schmidt of the Bluewater Network, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean states “that a typical cruise ship can generate up to 1,000,000 gallons of graywater on a one week voyage” (Schmidt 4). Graywater is exempt from U.S. regulations, except in Alaska, and there are no international treaties in force.
Blackwater is the sewage generated on ships. Sewage is more concentrated on a ship vs. what is generated domestically because there is less water used to diffuse the material. The discharge of raw sewage into the oceans is allowed once the ship is 3 nautical miles from shore except in Alaska. Ships are required by the U.S. Clean Water Act to install marine sanitation devices (MSD) to treat or hold raw sewage. They are to either treat the sewage with chemicals or by using bacteria but this also causes problems because this foreign material is introduced to the oceans when discharged. Sewage is harmful to corals and coastlines. Another problem that can surface is, if the waste is discharged near shrimp beds or shellfish beds this would make them unsafe for human consumption. The fact that raw sewage is dumped in the oceans is also repulsive and would definitely affect swimmers, boaters, scuba divers and surfers. The discharge of blackwater is supposed to be monitored, although most articles and reports state that little monitoring is being done.
Bilge is the oily water that collects at the bottom of the vessel called the hull. Typically, it is full of residual fuel oil, wastewater from the engines and other machinery. It may also contain such materials as paint, cleaning agents, and oily rags. This bilge must be flushed out and pumped dry to help maintain the stability of the vessel. “Vessels are required to have a separator on board that will extract the oil from the waste to be re-used, incinerated or stored until it can be legally off-loaded at port” (Copeland 12). The Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act have regulations that limits the concentrations of bilge water that can be discharged. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was created to impose serious penalties for the illegal dumping of oil, wastewater, sewage, and other toxic and hazardous substances. Despite the penalties for illegal dumping or discharge, vessels have been found guilty of falsifying records. The cruise ship, The Norway, owned by Norwegian Cruise Line,” cost the new owner, Colin Veitch, approximately $1 million in fines for illegally dumping oily waste into the ocean. Veitch found out about the falsified records by the crew of the Norway, which mislead the Coast Guard into thinking pollution was occurring at a legal level and agreed to plead guilty to the Justice Department” (www.usatoday).
Another case was reported in the July 31, 2008 Oil Spill Intelligence Report, regarding charges brought against the operator for GmbH & Co KG (RKS), a ship management company, and the chief engineer aboard the MV MSC Uruguay, operated by RKS, who pled guilty to falsifying the vessel’s Oil Record Book (4). When the MV MSC Uruguay docked in the Port of Philadelphia it was subject to an inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard found out with help from the crew that the ship had illegally discharged bilge waste “directly overboard” in December 2007 and again in January 2008. The crew had hooked a hose up to bypass the separator, and then doctored their books showing they had properly processed the waste. RKS had to pay $1,000,000 in fines and $200,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife foundation, was put on three years’ probation, and must follow strict environmental laws.
Ships must take in millions of gallons of ballast water to stabilize the vessel to ensure safe operating conditions. The water is taken on board at the port where the voyage begins. Many local organisms are sucked in with the water. Some may die during the voyage due to heat, or lack of air or food, but others survive and when the vessel discharges its ballast at the next port of call, these organisms are flushed into the foreign water. Many non-native organisms take over and kill the native population causing disruptions in the natural ecosystem, economic troubles, and even carry human diseases. According to a report by the MIT Sea Grant Center for Coastal Resources “These introduced species, or bioinvaders…populations may grow quickly in the absence of natural predators. In turn, bioinvaders may displace native organisms by preying on them or outcompeting native species for food and habitat space. Economic damage may occur when a bioinvader displaces species that are harvested for food or other goods…” (massbay 1).
Case in point is the anchovy fisheries in Russia and Turkey, which have all but disappeared due to the introduction of the “mnemiopsis leidyl, a comb jelly (similar to a jelly fish)” that was likely introduced via ballast water from New England (USA) into the Black Sea “(massbay2). The Clean Water Act regulations currently exempt ballast water discharges incidental to the normal operations of cruise ships.
As reported in the August 28, 2008 Oil Spill Intelligence Report, the shipping company B.Navi Ship Management Services was sentenced to pay a $1.2 million fine and pay the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation $300,000, must serve three years probation, and implement and follow as stringent environmental program which includes a court-appointed monitor and auditing of their ships for compliance with environmental laws because it was guilty of illegally dumping oily sludge, bilge waters and oil-contaminated ballast water and falsifying records to the US Coast Guard (4).
According to a report by Oceana a typical cruise ship with 3,000 passengers can generate up to 7 tons of garbage and solid waste a day. This trash includes bottles, cans, plastic, cardboard and food wastes. Approximately 75 to 80 percent is incinerated at sea and then the ash is dumped into the ocean (Oceana 2). Many cruise ships do recycle or dispose of some waste on land as required by law. Laws in the U.S. prohibit any dumping of plastics and allow garbage to be dumped within three miles in U.S waters; international laws put the limit from three to 25 miles out. Despite these laws, there have been many instances of cruise ships dumping their garbage illegally.
The effect on marine life is visible and astounding. Millions of animals become trapped or poisoned by marine refuse. Sea turtles often die from eating plastic bags that they mistake for jellyfish; Sea lions, birds and other marine life get tangled in plastic six-pack holders, nets and other trash. Often the oceans currents will deposit this dumped garbage on our beaches, making them ugly, unsanitary and unsafe.
The Ocean offers life to millions of sea creatures and to mankind. The oceans’ fragile ecosystem must be protected from unlawful dumping in order for our oceans to survive. The conventions and treaties signed by countries are there to protect the Oceans, but more needs to be done. Cruise ships that depend on the oceans for survival should not damage the oceans’ pristine shorelines and clean water. They need to be held accountable for their actions. The laws and regulations must be enforced and, in some cases, made tougher. Mankind should be able to enjoy the beauty and mysteries that the oceans offer whether snorkeling, surfing, swimming or taking a dream cruise. The commercial fisherman and the man finding food to feed his family should not be endangered.
Works Cited
Adams, Marylin “US Keeps Wary Eye on Cruise Ships for More Pollution.” USAToday, Updated 8 November 2002: 1-4
Copeland, Claudia “Cruise Ship Pollution: Background, Laws and
Regulations, and Key Issues.” CRS Report for Congress, The Library of
Congress, Updated 18 Feb 2005: 1-22
Copeland, Claudia “Ocean Dumping Act: A Summary of the Law.” CRS Report for Congress, The Library of Congress, Updated 25 August 2008: 1-6
“Firm Nabbed for Oil Record Book Violations.” Oil Spill Intelligence
Report 30.32 (2008): 3-4, 2p. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.
University of Alaska Fairbanks Lib. 16 Nov 2008 http://libapps.uaf.edu
International Maritime Organization,
“Marine Bioinvasions Fact Sheet: Ballast Water.” MIT Sea Grant Center For Coastal Resources
“Protect Our Oceans: Stop Cruise Ship Pollution.” Oceana
Schmidt, Kira “Cruising for Trouble: Stemming the Tide of Cruise Ship Pollution.” Bluewater Network, March 2000: 1-10
http://bluewaternetwork.org/reports/rep_ss_cruise_trouble
“Two Plead Guilty to Falsifying Records.” Oil Spill Intelligence Report
31.32 (2008): 4-4,2/3. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. University
Of Alaska Fairbanks Lib. 16 Nov 2008
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