Tag: plastic debris

The cruise line revealed plans to eliminate single-use plastics from its fleet operations on its three lines, The aim is to investigate ways to reduce the amount of plastics used in the daily operations of their combined 38 ships and ultimately terminate all single-use plastic.

A recent study estimated that approximately 11.1 billion plastic items are entangled on coral reefs across the Asia-Pacific region; a number that is expected to increase as well, to 40% until 2025. Plastic waste management is critical for reducing diseases that threaten ecosystem health and human livelihoods.

The new proposal aims to achieve a higher level of protection of the marine environment and introduces measures to prevent marine litter. It also wants to ensure that there is the necessary port reception facilities available, to promote a waste notification from ships and transparency of the waste delivery fee charging structures. 

European ports believe that any proposals leading to better enforcement of the obligation for ships to deliver waste at shore are welcome. The compliance of specific elements of the Directive with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships gains ESPO’s support.

A major change is the proposal for a 100% indirect fee system for waste delivery. This means that all ships pay for the total cost of waste delivery in ports, regardless of whether they deliver any waste, which is considered very important to discourage waste dumping at sea.

Starting 2018, the Netherlands-based MF Shipping Group announced adoption of a proactive approach against plastic waste. The company informed that it bought 750 design water bottles from the Plastic Bank, an organisation committed to stop ocean plastic, while improving lives. 

Animals from six of the deepest places on Earth were found to contain man-made fibres and plastic in their stomachs, according to a new study by Newcastle University. The team tested samples of crustaceans found in the ultra-deep trenches that span the entire Pacific Ocean.

According to marine biologists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Williams College and other institutions nearly 300 coastal species were detected in Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast, after the tsunami in Japan in 2011, which crossed the ocean by attaching on debris.

As rivers potentially act as a major transport pathway for all sizes of plastic debris, scientists analysed data along 57 rivers, and were able to calculate the main culprits of plastic in rivers flowing to the sea.

The Port of Antwerp introduced a new initiative in order to prevent pollution from polymer pellets used to make plastic products. Under the “Operation Clean Sweep”, a “Zero Pellet Loss” consultative platform is being set up in Antwerp to organize measures for keeping the loss of pellets to an absolute minimum.