A US jury charged a Greek ship management company, the ship owner, and the Chief Engineer of the Nigerian-flagged oil tanker ‘M/T Evridiki’ for failing to keep accurate pollution control records, falsifying records, and obstruction of justice, the US Department of Justice announced.
Norwegian oil firm Equinor, published a statement according to which an oil spill was observed during a loading operation in the North Sea offshore Norway on Wednesday, May 15. The company noted that when loading oil from buoy to shuttle tanker on the North Sea Statfjord field, oil was observed on the sea surface.
In light of IMO’s MEPC 74 meeting in London being conducted this week, groups issue call to reevaluate scrubbers as alternative compliance tool for 2020 fuel standards, citing evidence in US federal case against Carnival Corporation.
The bulk carrier Solomon Trader is possible to be refloated and towed from the reef at Lavagu Bay, West Rennell, Solomon Islands. The operation could take place within a couple of weeks. The Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier ‘Solomon Trader’ was loading bauxite when it ran aground due to unexpected gale at Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, on 4 February, causing an environmental disaster.
CNN Philippines highlighted the fact that they’re amongst the top 5 polluters, referring to the striking example of a young goosed beaked whale that died in the Davao Gulf as researchers pulled out approximately 90 pounds of plastic from inside it.
The USCG contracted Resolve Marine Group to research and assess the proportion of oil remaining on the Coimbra wreck, located approximately 30 miles southeast of Shinnecock, N.Y. In the possibility that the oil remaining in the area is substantial and feasible, USCG will cooperate with Resolve to remove the oil from the wreck, with the goal to mitigate the possibilities of pollution to the environment.
The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) collaborated with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to provide a wider industry perspective concerning the challenges,management practices and attitudes regarding marine plastics in the shipping industry.
Reuters reports that countries are close to an agreement on tighten controls on trade in plastic waste, which would make it harder for the US, as a leading exporter, to ship unsorted plastic to emerging Asian economies for disposal.
A study published in Nature Communications revealed that the increase in large plastic pollution has been happening since 1957, with a significant increase since the 1990s. The study on marine plastic wasn’t the teams priority, as they were in the beginning studying plankton.
IMCA issued a safety flash that focused on a pollution accident that occurred during bunkering operations. Specifically, the incident took place as the vessel took bunkers supplied by five tanker trucks, one after the other. Because of difficulties during the bunkering operations, the hose was loosened resulting to the oil spill. As a result, the local Coast Guard was informed and arrived at the area of the incident.
