Pollution effects are indeed many and wide-ranging. There is no
doubt that excessive levels of pollution are causing a lot of damage to human
& animal health, tropical rainforests, as well as the wider environment. The impact on the living
environment is seen in the form of air, water and soil pollution.
Speaking on water pollution, for all
the reasons pinned, shipping has been wrongly blamed as a major contributor. Moreover,
set against the land-based industry, shipping is a comparatively minor
contributor, overall to marine pollution from human activities. Shipping which
transports 90 per cent of global trade is statistically the least
environmentally damaging mode of transport, when its productive value is taken
into consideration.
However shipping is negatively
highlighted for reasons like discharge of ballast water, the noise produced by
ships, risk of marine mammals such as whales and manatees being struck by ships
causing injury and death. Further, exhaust gases from
ships are considered to be a source of air pollution, both
for conventional pollutants and greenhouse gases. It is estimated that shipping
contributes to about 3.5 to 4% of the air pollution in the world, having gone
up from just above 1.5% a decade back.
Most commonly associated with
ship pollution are oil spills. Measures
introduced by IMO have helped ensure that the majority of oil tankers are
safely built and operated, and are constructed to reduce the amount of oil
spilled in the event of an accident. Operational pollution caused from routine
tank cleaning operations have also been cut.
The cruise line industry dumps greywater and blackwater into the sea every day. Backwater is sewage, wastewater from toilets and medical facilities. Greywater
is wastewater from the sinks, showers, galleys, laundry, and cleaning activities
aboard a ship.
The International Maritime
Organisation - IMO being principally concerned with maritime safety, have over
the many years, adopted a wide range of measures to prevent and control
pollution caused by ships and to mitigate the effects of any damage that may
occur as a result of maritime operations and accidents.
The MARPOL Convention addresses
pollution from ships by oil, by noxious liquid substances carried in bulk,
harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form like sewage, garbage, and
the prevention of air pollution from ships. MARPOL has greatly contributed to a
significant decrease in pollution from international shipping and applies to
99% of the world’s merchant tonnage.
Thus measures adopted have shown
positive results in reducing vessel-sourced pollution illustrating the
commitment of the IMO and the shipping industry towards protecting the
environment. In the end it will be advisable to quote that our Planet does not
belong to one generation, it is a legacy left behind from one to the other. It
is us who need to decide what we wish to leave behind, a world of prosperity or
a world of ashes.
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