Cargo Ship Causes Pollution at Britain’s Coastline!
posted in Latest News, Pollution |
The MSC Napoli, a 68,000-ton (62,000-metric-ton) container ship, has already spilt around 220 tons (200 metric tons) of light fuel oil from it’s engine room, creating a five-mile-long slick on the sea surface just off the southwest coast of the United Kingdom.
The Napoli was sliced open on January 18 during a heavy storm, and initial efforts to tow the ship to Portland Harbor were stymied by severe structural damage. So the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency decided to beach the ship in Lyme Bay, part a wildlife-rich area near Sidmouth in Devon. The salvage crews are working around the clock to remove containers and pump oil off the ship.
The most pressing concern is the ship’s 3,900-ton (3,500-metric-ton) store of heavy fuel oil, used to drive the boat. “If this leaks out, then it will be a very serious incident,” said a spokesperson from the country’s Environment Agency.
Wild Life Endangered
The location’s 95 miles (153 kilometers) of coastline is home to rich and varied flora and fauna. If the oil reaches the shore, then it could threaten some rare species like the pink seafan (a coral) and specialized niche environments such as the maerl beds.
Marine biologist Robin Crump added that “heavy fuel oil has a smothering effect, killing creatures like limpets and barnacles.”
The Environment Agency has been taking water and shellfish samples from the entire stretch of coast and will be monitoring the effects of the pollution carefully over the coming days and weeks. If the heavy oil does leak, then previous experience indicates that wildlife could be affected for a number of years.
“It depends on the type of oil and the weather conditions, but it will probably take between five and ten years to recover,” Crump said.
Toxin’s
In addition to the oil hazard, around 200 of the ship’s 2,323 containers have fallen overboard. About 160 of the containers are said to contain hazardous material like pesticides and insecticides. Two of these, containing perfume and battery acid, were among those that plunged into the sea.
“This has increased the environmental damage by creating lots of litter and damage, making the clean-up operation much more difficult,” said Sophia Exelby from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Complex Operation
Many experts also fear that poor weather will hamper the delicate heavy-oil recovery operation, which is expected to last around a week.
“The cold weather means that the oil has a treacle-like consistency and has to be warmed up before it can be pumped off,” said Farooq Mulla, a spokesperson for the Environment Agency.
The process of removing the ships containers and the oil that is containes in them is a tedious process. This whole process could take around an year to be complete.