By Kavinda Ratnapala
- Research which lends the greatest assistance towards understanding where the discharged bilge finally settles comes from studies conducted into oil spills which are broadly categorised as light oils, medium oils and heavy oil spills.
- Cumulatively, year on year the real volume and consequence of bilge dumping can be considered equivalent to crude oil spills, or even more so; justifying extrapolations from research into the latter domain.
- Not only did bilge dumping lead to lost revenue for local communities, but adding to the burdens the cost of the clean-up falls upon the local communities which retrospectively has proven not to be a one-off event but a trend.
- An outcome of bilge dumping and dark shipping converging is the furthering of illegality at their nexus, placing at risk not only ecosystems but also the bedrock of safe oceanic transport.
A returning reader will be aware that the term bilge refers to a combination of oily substances which are the by-products of engine operations and even the cargo being carried and comprises lubricants, detergents, grease, cleaning fluids and other mixed substances; which are in turn stored in various forms on board. To understand the consequence of the illegal discharge of bilge water, first, it is important to have a grasp of the various forms that the oils take and the impact that their respective natures have upon the manner in which the oily sludge interacts with the oceans.
Where does the Oil go?
As bilge water constitutes an array of substances, it is only natural that each illegal discharge constitutes a unique cocktail. While it is possible to make generalised assumptions regarding the various elements found in the bilge water (see Part 1), it is only possible to even more vaguely generalize how such solutions might physically interact with the ocean. As such, research which lends the greatest assistance towards understanding what happens to and where the oil ends up, comes from studies conducted into oil spills.
Oil spills are commonly broken into 3 categories. Namely, light oils, medium oils and heavy oils. While the nomenclature does not exactly inspire deep insights. It is important to note that the life cycles of each of these oils are extremely different.
Light oils, gasoline for instance used in small vessels, create a dull, dark-coloured film when discharged. Prone to spreading fast and wide, it is visually characterised by a thin film that skirts the surface of the water. These spills which also constitute marine diesel and jet fuel are considered easier to clean up—experiences from the disastrous 2020 Mauritius oil spill show that scoping up surface-level oil layers is a workable solution. However, it was suspected that many of the soluble compounds from the spill had already dissolved into the oceans and evidence of oil layers being formed beneath the ocean’s surface was also found.
Medium and heavy oils are largely derived from crude oil with Arabian crude oil being an example of the former and bunker fuels an example of the latter. The main difference between the two when categorised is the time taken to disperse into the water column which again is impacted by a combination of natural processes such as weathering, evaporation, oxidation, biodegradation, and emulsification.
Medium and heavy oils when spilt create a thick and dark slick and are less prone to evaporate or photodegrade. Unlike light oils; medium and heavy oils have been shown to form tar balls when mixed with air and agitated by the movement of waves. Where there is a speedy response to such releases, such dischargers can be contained and collected by skimmers or vacuum pumps. However, due to the subterfuge with which bilge dumping occurs the more real eventuality is that these tar balls sink to the bottom of the oceans, indefinitely expanding the period of exposure and its resultant consequences.
Consequences
One manner of gauging the possible outcomes of releasing bilge water into the high seas in an unrestricted manner can be conceptualised by looking at some of the constituent elements within the average discharge. As identified in Part 1, bilge water “include(s) toxic organic chemicals such as benzene, chloroform, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, and naphthalene, an array of carcinogens and even toxic metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and selenium”. While a simple Google search of each of these terms will suffice to gauge the rates of mortality associated with each of these compounds. Such a reductionist approach will not suffice, nor help uncover and tackle the sheer scale of the socio-environmental consequences that bilge dumping leads to. Furthermore, it obscures the lived experiences of the communities impacted by turning a blind eye and permitting this global tragedy of the commons to continue.
For the same reasons, lessons are drawn from crude oil spills to extrapolate bilge water’s possible physical interactions with the oceans. It is important to extend this same logic and extrapolate from scientific literature analysing the effects of large-scale historical oil spills such as BP’s Deepwater Horizon. For it is by collating from related areas of study that the paucity of information—referred to in Part 1—relating to bilge water dumping may be meaningfully overcome and its possible consequences uncovered.
In the Arabian Seas
For instance, in 2017 there was a significant decrease in tourism in Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates due to 3 consecutive incidents of tankers deliberately dumping their oily water into the sea. The resultant shocking images showed tourists covered in oil after the spill had washed ashore and resulted in booking cancellations throughout the coastline, known for its diving spots. Not only did this lead to lost revenue to local communities, but adding to the insult the task and cost of the clean-up fell upon the local municipality. The burdening of the local communities to pick up after the shippers is not a one-off but a trend which will be shown to be a global occurrence and was repeated in 2020 when a similar spill affected the very same community.
Adding to the indignity faced by the people of Fujairah, where the aforementioned dumping took place is that the affected coastline faces the Oman area of the Arabian Sea which under Annex 1 of MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) has been classified as a special area protected from all oil-contaminated discharges. Not only was this discharge well above the levels permitted under MARPOL—see Part 1 for permitted levels—but, it may have taken place in the aforementioned special areas in which due to its oceanographical and ecological conditions and sea traffic; a higher level of protection has been afforded than other areas of the sea. Thus, likely blatantly violating well-established international laws.
From the South Atlantic Ocean
Casting an eye to the opposite side of the world, off the coast of Brazil’s northeast seaboard in August of 2019 crude oil residue from unknown sources washed ashore contaminating beaches, estuaries, reefs, and mangroves along a 2500-kilometre stretch of shoreline. This immediately raised concerns as tar balls began to accumulate on the rocky shores of Abrolhos Marine National Park archipelago which is home to the highest marine biodiversity concentration in the South Atlantic Ocean with at least 20 species of coral, including 6 species that are endemic to Brazil. This was a double whammy for this sensitive ecosystem which was already suffering the effects of climate changed induced coral bleaching and other anthropogenic impacts.
This release, in particular, elevated another less known concern to the forefront of the debate concerning marine oil pollution, as the suspected culprit, the operator of the Greek flag flying Malaysian-owned Bouboulina, continues to deny any involvement. The practice in concern surrounds the use of Black Ships. According to FleetMon, a data company in the field of vessel tracking, Black Ships travel with the AIS (Automatic Identification System) turned off intending to avoid monitoring. This not only puts maritime transport at risk by increasing the likelihood of collisions but it is also suspected as the go-to means of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil—chemical analysis indicated the released oil was Venezuelan in origin with the Bouboulina confirmed to have carried Venezuelan crude. These lessons can be extrapolated to further highlight the far-reaching consequences of bilge dumping which is not limited to crude oil releases alone.
Temporarily ‘going dark’ has been observed as a recurrent practice by the Global Fishing Watch, when fishing vessels enter areas where fishing is prohibited such as protected marine areas. As such, it does not take much in the way of deep contemplation to realise that, a very real outcome of bilge dumping and dark shipping converging is the furthering of possible illegality at their nexus, placing at risk not only treasured ecosystems but also the bedrock of safe oceanic transport.
Toxic Consequences
Drawing parallels between large-scale spills such as BP’s Deepwater Horizon and that of bilge water may result in accusations of false equivalence. Yet, upon closer examination, the similarity between the two classes of events becomes more evident. For instance, as an individual event, BP’s Deepwater Horizon resulted in 4.9 million barrels of oil being discharged. Bilge dumping annually leads to anywhere upwards of 780,000 barrels being discharged (See Part 1 for a detailed breakdown). As such, even though on an individual basis the spills may seem insignificant when compared to events such as BP’s Deepwater Horizon, cumulatively, year on year the real consequence of bilge dumping can be considered just as consequential—or even more so.
The environmental impact of crude oil release alone, without considering the toxic cocktail that bilge water generally constitutes, can be seen through the impact upon the population of dolphins which have suffered from a combination of reproductive, lung and hormone issues. It was estimated that dolphins in heavily affected Louisiana were found dead at four times the historic rates.
In Spain after the tanker Prestige broke open and sank, releasing millions of gallons of oil in 2002. The Costa da Morte or the Galician Coast of Death as the area is known due to the countless shipwrecks that lie along its treacherous rocky shores; proved an apt name given the consequences that would have to be faced by the locals and volunteers who came to help with the cleanup. As soon as 2006, clean-up workers of the spill started showing signs of genetic damage and higher levels of heavy metals in their blood. Both of these factors are potential catalysts for more serious disease. The impact has not been only on the communities that came to clean the shoreline, researchers found tumours and genetic mutations in shellfish along the coast.
As this essay has made evident, the consequences of bilge dumping have far-reaching socio-environmental consequences. It is doubtful if ever, a complete picture of the consequences of the practice could be uncovered due to the multiple knock-on behaviours that bilge dumping spurs. From engaging in Black Shipping to the lack of adequate protection afforded to local communities that have to clean up and then live with the resultant on-shoring of the oil. The inability to meaningfully gauge let alone combat the challenge, more than justifies the application of the precautionary principle leading to a total ban on bilge dumping, even when conducted in a limited and regulated manner. By compelling shippers to store the entirety of such waste in slop tanks and evolve their practices so as to enable the transfer of bilge to reception facilities at port for treatment, the externalization of the costs of bilge dumping may be reversed.
The next entry to this series will cover the mechanisms and negative incentives baked into the global marine architecture that aids shippers to act upon their worst impulses; breaking not only the norms associated with the oceans but the very legal system which has enabled oceanic commerce to flourish.
This is the third entry in a series of commentaries on illegal bilge dumping. See Part 1 an introduction to bilge dumping and Part 1.1 which is an assessment of the practice in Sri Lankan waters.
To access the full portfolio of articles see here.
Kavinda Ratnapala, has worked in a range of Corporate and Not for Profit roles from which he ideates and writes in the Sustainability and Governance space whilst occasionally dabbling in matters of ethics and geopolitics of interest. He holds a Master in Environment and Sustainability with a Bachelor in International Relations.
You can email the author at kavindareads@gmail.com or find him on Twitter under the handle @kavinda937 or connect on LinkedIn.
