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Politics, pirates and pollution
Volume 24/Number 7/July 1992
Tanker Crew Detained after Spill The crew of the Maltese tanker Katina P which sank in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique in April are being detained by the Mozambique government. It is feared that they are being used as leverage to obtain pollution compensation that may be unreasonable considering the limited environmental impact of the incident. Katina P was estimated to have spilled 3000 t of heavy fuel oil when a freak wave struck the tanker on April 16th and breached the vessel's No. 3 starboard tank. At the time the ship was anchored about 30 miles north east of Maputo. Latest reports estimate that about 300 t of oil went ashore. Later, whilst the ship was being towed offshore she finally broke up releasing up to 13 000 t of her 60 000 t cargo at a position 250 miles east of Maputo. South African Coastguard overflights report that the resulting slick was breaking up and that the pollution threat to the coast line was minimal. Recent reports of oil on the South African coast are believed to have originated from the first release of oil. Katina P is presently lying in some 3000 m of water where she is not believed to pose a pollution threat. The detention of the vessel's crew, which includes the Greek captain, 14 Greek officers and Ghanian ratings caused concern after Mozambique's foreign minister described the incident as the country's worst environmental disaster and called for international help. The crew are believed to be under near house arrest in Maputo. Meanwhile diplomatic pressure form international maritime organizations is being applied to try and persuade Mozambique to release the men.
Transport and the Environment The United Kingdom Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is inviting evidence for a new study on transport and the environment. The study will explore the options for developing transport strategies aimed at reconciling the necessary movement of people and goods with the need to protect the environment. It will look at the scope for technological, regulatory, fiscal and other measures which could contribute, in the medium to long term, to the development of an environmentally sustainable transport policy. Among the issues the Commission intends to investigate are the contribution of transport to emissions of greenhouse gases and atmospheric pollutants, and the effects of traffic and transport infrastructure on natural habitats and the man made environment. The Commission will take into account the relationship between transport, land use and planning policies. The Commission will focus primarily on the UK but developments in Europe and elsewhere will be con-
sidered. It intends to give particular attention to the following: • the institutional framework for transport policy; • the nature, scale and costs of the environmental effects of transport; • land use and planning policy considerations, both urban and rural; • issues relating to the movement of freight; • the potential contribution of developments in technology to the alleviation of transport-related environmental problems; • an economic analysis of these problems and of measures to mitigate them. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent standing body, established by Royal Warrant in 1970. It advises the Queen, Parliament, the Government and the public on matters of environmental pollution. The Commission would welcome evidence from any organizations or individuals with an interest in these issues. Evidence should be addressed to the Secretary to the Royal Commission, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1 3BZ. Further information can also be obtained from Dr. Ann Booth at the same address or by telephone on 071-276-2017.
Politics, Pirates and Pollution The increase in modern day piracy is causing growing concern amongst ship owners and governments and the danger of associated pollution incidents is increasing (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 24, 280). As well as the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean), Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei, Japan and the UK are becoming involved in possible solutions to this mounting problem. Special concern is being expressed about the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, where 40 000 vessels passed through last year. The Singapore National Shipping Association (SNSA), representing about 180 shipowners, is calling for selfdefence measures to be available on all ships. These would include the use of teargas, warning rockets, water hoses and barbed wire. Better lighting and infra-red detectors would also help the problem. They have not suggested the use of firearms as the move would violate the laws in some countries. The suggestions were made as shipowners await results from government promises that they would take action against piracy. Meanwhile the Japanese Shipowners' Association has asked the Asean nations to produce an anti-piracy resolution calling for all shipowners to report piracy incidents and consider setting up a regional anti- piracy centre to identify incidents. They are also asking that port states refer incidents to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and that the Asean states adopt the IMO Resolution A 683 (17) 1991 on the Prevention of Acts of Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships as well as allowing the IMO general secretary to deal directly with the states where incidents occur. The Asean nations have themselves proposed a levy 331
Marine Pollution Bulletin
to help combat the potential for oil pollution and the pirate attacks themselves. The levy would apply to vessels in the South China Sea and Malacca Strait. The money raised from the levy would be used to finance the, purchase of pollution surveillance aircraft, which had previously been shelved due to lack of funds, and to put police guards on merchant vessels in those waters. Senior shipping industry figures warned that there would be strong opposition to the levy amongst shipowners as they believed that it is the duty of governments to ensure safe passage for vessels in their waters and not that of the shipowners themselves. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering mounting a Royal Navy patrol to escort UK-registered ships through the Strait of Malacca. This will come into effect if the current MoD intelligence gathering network fails to deter merchant ship attacks. The patrol could result in an increase in shipowners transferring to UK dependent terriroty registers so as to receive extra protection. This occurred during the last months of the Iran-Iraq war when the Royal Navy escorted UK registered ships through the Persian Gulf. As warships are capable of seizing pirate ships under international law it could mean that pirates arrested by the patrol could stand trial in Britain. PHILIPPA A M B R O S E
Europipe Objections There is growing opposition in Germany to the proposal by the Norwegian State Oil Company, Statoil, to build a pipeline to bring gas from Norway's offshore fields into Germany. The problem is that the S1.5 billion 650 km pipeline would have to cross the German National Sea Park in the environmentally sensitive Wadden Sea. Environmentalists opposing the scheme fear that the construction and presence of the pipeline will permanently disrupt the shallow Wadden Sea which is an important wildlife refuge. The company wishes to dig a trench through the wetlands and then fill it in, taking about six months. Greenpeace Germany suggests that at least a tunnel should be built under the wetlands, although they favour a detour around the 450 km coastal area of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, keeping the pipeline away from environmentally sensitive areas.
Mass Produced Cod Fry could Improve Sea Stocks Mass producing and releasing young cod, turbot and plaice may prove an effective method of enhancing stocks of marine fish according to a recent report in Fish Farming International. Denmark is now increasing its efforts to determine whether a large scale programme of release could be cost-effective. The Danish Institute for Fisheries and Marine Research 332
(DIFMAR), working with the fisheries associations is producing and releasing young cod into the Baltic Sea from Bornholm Island. With this year's fishing season described as 'catastrophic' by Philip Prince, the DIFMAR fisheries biologist leading the project, the new scheme of mass producing and releasing fingerling cod could rescue the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen in the Baltic States. The project follows the principle that fingerling cod, already between 3-7 cm, would not suffer such heavy predation from herring, bristling and cod itself, and thus more fish would survive to become available as recruits to the fishing industry. DIFMAR will rear 200 000 cod fry at their new hatchery at Nesko on Bornholm's east coast. One group will be reared intensively on rotifers and Artemia while a second group will be semi-intensively reared on natural zooplankton filtered from the sea. The fingerling fish will be released into the North Sea and Limfjord. Another project in conjunction with the South Jutland Electricity Generating Company will produce 200 000 plaice and 10 000 cod to enhance stocks in Denmark's inner seas, while the Sea Fishery Association plans to produce one million cod and 400 000 turbot, all in the 3-7 cm range, for release into the North Sea. Other projects are also underway. Enhancing marine fish stocks is not a new idea. As long ago as 1892 plaice were transferred from areas of high nursery stock density near Thyboron to low density areas in inner Limfjord where the conditions gave potential for rapid growth. The results were good, with improved growth rates, enhanced recapture and no evidence for migration from Limfjord. This project was discontinued in 1957. However, in 1988 over 9000 plaice between 14-31 cm were transplanted to the Kattegat in a scheme to determine whether North Sea stock would establish themselves there. Two thousand of the fish were tagged. The recapture rate in the area was very low, between 35% with most fish found to have migrated to Skagen in the Skagerrak or into the North Sea. This experiment demonstrated the complexity of activities of this nature. However the concept of fish enhancement is being taken very seriously and if the DIFMAR project is a success the Danish Ministry of Fisheries will build a much larger hatchery for mass production of cod fry. It is proposed that such a long term project as well as being funded by public money may expect fishermen themselves to pay towards some of the costs through a proportion of their earning from fishing trips.
Green Remedies for Salmon Pest Control Advocated Chemical treatment of sea lice infestation of farmed salmon is becoming a liability to salmon farmers according to a new report just published in the UK by the Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link (SWCL). The use of substances such as dichlorvos, the tradi-
Tanker Crew Detained after Spill The crew of the Maltese tanker Katina P which sank in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique in April are being detained by the Mozambique government. It is feared that they are being used as leverage to obtain pollution compensation that may be unreasonable considering the limited environmental impact of the incident. Katina P was estimated to have spilled 3000 t of heavy fuel oil when a freak wave struck the tanker on April 16th and breached the vessel's No. 3 starboard tank. At the time the ship was anchored about 30 miles north east of Maputo. Latest reports estimate that about 300 t of oil went ashore. Later, whilst the ship was being towed offshore she finally broke up releasing up to 13 000 t of her 60 000 t cargo at a position 250 miles east of Maputo. South African Coastguard overflights report that the resulting slick was breaking up and that the pollution threat to the coast line was minimal. Recent reports of oil on the South African coast are believed to have originated from the first release of oil. Katina P is presently lying in some 3000 m of water where she is not believed to pose a pollution threat. The detention of the vessel's crew, which includes the Greek captain, 14 Greek officers and Ghanian ratings caused concern after Mozambique's foreign minister described the incident as the country's worst environmental disaster and called for international help. The crew are believed to be under near house arrest in Maputo. Meanwhile diplomatic pressure form international maritime organizations is being applied to try and persuade Mozambique to release the men.
Transport and the Environment The United Kingdom Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is inviting evidence for a new study on transport and the environment. The study will explore the options for developing transport strategies aimed at reconciling the necessary movement of people and goods with the need to protect the environment. It will look at the scope for technological, regulatory, fiscal and other measures which could contribute, in the medium to long term, to the development of an environmentally sustainable transport policy. Among the issues the Commission intends to investigate are the contribution of transport to emissions of greenhouse gases and atmospheric pollutants, and the effects of traffic and transport infrastructure on natural habitats and the man made environment. The Commission will take into account the relationship between transport, land use and planning policies. The Commission will focus primarily on the UK but developments in Europe and elsewhere will be con-
sidered. It intends to give particular attention to the following: • the institutional framework for transport policy; • the nature, scale and costs of the environmental effects of transport; • land use and planning policy considerations, both urban and rural; • issues relating to the movement of freight; • the potential contribution of developments in technology to the alleviation of transport-related environmental problems; • an economic analysis of these problems and of measures to mitigate them. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent standing body, established by Royal Warrant in 1970. It advises the Queen, Parliament, the Government and the public on matters of environmental pollution. The Commission would welcome evidence from any organizations or individuals with an interest in these issues. Evidence should be addressed to the Secretary to the Royal Commission, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1 3BZ. Further information can also be obtained from Dr. Ann Booth at the same address or by telephone on 071-276-2017.
Politics, Pirates and Pollution The increase in modern day piracy is causing growing concern amongst ship owners and governments and the danger of associated pollution incidents is increasing (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 24, 280). As well as the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean), Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei, Japan and the UK are becoming involved in possible solutions to this mounting problem. Special concern is being expressed about the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, where 40 000 vessels passed through last year. The Singapore National Shipping Association (SNSA), representing about 180 shipowners, is calling for selfdefence measures to be available on all ships. These would include the use of teargas, warning rockets, water hoses and barbed wire. Better lighting and infra-red detectors would also help the problem. They have not suggested the use of firearms as the move would violate the laws in some countries. The suggestions were made as shipowners await results from government promises that they would take action against piracy. Meanwhile the Japanese Shipowners' Association has asked the Asean nations to produce an anti-piracy resolution calling for all shipowners to report piracy incidents and consider setting up a regional anti- piracy centre to identify incidents. They are also asking that port states refer incidents to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and that the Asean states adopt the IMO Resolution A 683 (17) 1991 on the Prevention of Acts of Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships as well as allowing the IMO general secretary to deal directly with the states where incidents occur. The Asean nations have themselves proposed a levy 331
Marine Pollution Bulletin
to help combat the potential for oil pollution and the pirate attacks themselves. The levy would apply to vessels in the South China Sea and Malacca Strait. The money raised from the levy would be used to finance the, purchase of pollution surveillance aircraft, which had previously been shelved due to lack of funds, and to put police guards on merchant vessels in those waters. Senior shipping industry figures warned that there would be strong opposition to the levy amongst shipowners as they believed that it is the duty of governments to ensure safe passage for vessels in their waters and not that of the shipowners themselves. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering mounting a Royal Navy patrol to escort UK-registered ships through the Strait of Malacca. This will come into effect if the current MoD intelligence gathering network fails to deter merchant ship attacks. The patrol could result in an increase in shipowners transferring to UK dependent terriroty registers so as to receive extra protection. This occurred during the last months of the Iran-Iraq war when the Royal Navy escorted UK registered ships through the Persian Gulf. As warships are capable of seizing pirate ships under international law it could mean that pirates arrested by the patrol could stand trial in Britain. PHILIPPA A M B R O S E
Europipe Objections There is growing opposition in Germany to the proposal by the Norwegian State Oil Company, Statoil, to build a pipeline to bring gas from Norway's offshore fields into Germany. The problem is that the S1.5 billion 650 km pipeline would have to cross the German National Sea Park in the environmentally sensitive Wadden Sea. Environmentalists opposing the scheme fear that the construction and presence of the pipeline will permanently disrupt the shallow Wadden Sea which is an important wildlife refuge. The company wishes to dig a trench through the wetlands and then fill it in, taking about six months. Greenpeace Germany suggests that at least a tunnel should be built under the wetlands, although they favour a detour around the 450 km coastal area of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, keeping the pipeline away from environmentally sensitive areas.
Mass Produced Cod Fry could Improve Sea Stocks Mass producing and releasing young cod, turbot and plaice may prove an effective method of enhancing stocks of marine fish according to a recent report in Fish Farming International. Denmark is now increasing its efforts to determine whether a large scale programme of release could be cost-effective. The Danish Institute for Fisheries and Marine Research 332
(DIFMAR), working with the fisheries associations is producing and releasing young cod into the Baltic Sea from Bornholm Island. With this year's fishing season described as 'catastrophic' by Philip Prince, the DIFMAR fisheries biologist leading the project, the new scheme of mass producing and releasing fingerling cod could rescue the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen in the Baltic States. The project follows the principle that fingerling cod, already between 3-7 cm, would not suffer such heavy predation from herring, bristling and cod itself, and thus more fish would survive to become available as recruits to the fishing industry. DIFMAR will rear 200 000 cod fry at their new hatchery at Nesko on Bornholm's east coast. One group will be reared intensively on rotifers and Artemia while a second group will be semi-intensively reared on natural zooplankton filtered from the sea. The fingerling fish will be released into the North Sea and Limfjord. Another project in conjunction with the South Jutland Electricity Generating Company will produce 200 000 plaice and 10 000 cod to enhance stocks in Denmark's inner seas, while the Sea Fishery Association plans to produce one million cod and 400 000 turbot, all in the 3-7 cm range, for release into the North Sea. Other projects are also underway. Enhancing marine fish stocks is not a new idea. As long ago as 1892 plaice were transferred from areas of high nursery stock density near Thyboron to low density areas in inner Limfjord where the conditions gave potential for rapid growth. The results were good, with improved growth rates, enhanced recapture and no evidence for migration from Limfjord. This project was discontinued in 1957. However, in 1988 over 9000 plaice between 14-31 cm were transplanted to the Kattegat in a scheme to determine whether North Sea stock would establish themselves there. Two thousand of the fish were tagged. The recapture rate in the area was very low, between 35% with most fish found to have migrated to Skagen in the Skagerrak or into the North Sea. This experiment demonstrated the complexity of activities of this nature. However the concept of fish enhancement is being taken very seriously and if the DIFMAR project is a success the Danish Ministry of Fisheries will build a much larger hatchery for mass production of cod fry. It is proposed that such a long term project as well as being funded by public money may expect fishermen themselves to pay towards some of the costs through a proportion of their earning from fishing trips.
Green Remedies for Salmon Pest Control Advocated Chemical treatment of sea lice infestation of farmed salmon is becoming a liability to salmon farmers according to a new report just published in the UK by the Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link (SWCL). The use of substances such as dichlorvos, the tradi-