Challenges and Opportunities { related with maritime transport accidents

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1 Ocean s Challenges and Opportunities Porto, May 2013 Challenges and Opportunities { related with maritime transport accidents By Michel Girin, MGConcepts

2 Maritime Transport The activity: transport of goods, livestock or humans by sea The tools: general cargo vessels, chemical and oil tankers, container carriers, passenger ships The exclusions: piracy, smuggling, military activities, racing

3 Accidents Sudden, unpredictable : Type Failure of power, steering, structure Loss of cargo, containers, bunkers, Intake of water, Fire on board Stranding, Collision Cause Storm Bad maintenance Human error

4 Yesterday Few sailors died from old age, in their bed Scorbut Pirates Storms Priority to sailors safety Better maps, longitude clocks Rowing rescue boats lighthouses

5 Today 99% ships safely reach destination harbour Bigger and safer ships Improved navigational aids Remaining 1% Saving crew disconnected from saving ship/cargo: Crew helicoptered (by and at cost of coastal country) Ship and cargo: decision and responsibility: coastal country payment: shipowner

6 Challenges and Opportunities Challenges: responding efficiently, at a reasonable cost be prepared to deliver adequate, cost efficient response and to justify it Opportunities: an accident temporarily opens for changes doors that were closed before. If change is needed, be prepared to lobby for new rules before the doors close again

7 2 books Summarizing the experience acquired over the first 30 years of Activity of the French "Centre de documentation, de recherche et d'expérimentations sur les pollutions accidentelles des eaux (CEDRE).

8 ONE OIL FAMILY, DIVERSE HNS FAMILIES Ore in bulk Crude oil, processed oils Oil chemistry products in bulk Liquefied gases in bulk Corrosive liquids in bulk Mineral and organic salts in bulk Food and feedstuff products in bulk Products related hazards Products in pouches, bags and other packages Products in containers Packaging interference

9 SOME EXAMPLES Along the last 30 years

10 Fire Explosion The most dramatic: the explosions in 1947 of the cargoes of ammonium nitrate of RISKS FOR HUMAN LIFE AND PROPERTY The Grandcamp in the port of Texas City, USA, 600 dead, 3000 injured The Ocean Liberty in the bay of Brest, France, in 1947, 30 dead, 1000 injured, 4000 homes damaged The Ocean Liberty in the bay of Brest, before the explosion

Fire and Stranding: Cason, Galicia, 1987 With 1 100 t of chemicals (5000 packages), including at least 12 HNS (flammable, toxic, corrosive). Dec.

11 Fire and Stranding: Cason, Galicia, 1987 With t of chemicals (5000 packages), including at least 12 HNS (flammable, toxic, corrosive). Dec.5: Fire on board (contact of sodium with water), 23 crew members lost, stranded on cape Finisterre rocks. Dec. 10 : explosion during unloading, people evacuated overnight. March 12, 1988 : cargo recovered

Containers crushed and lost, MSC Rosa M, 1997 British channel Container carrier sailing out of le Havre, cargo improperly stabilised 30 list, containers crushed and

12 Containers crushed and lost, MSC Rosa M, 1997 British channel Container carrier sailing out of le Havre, cargo improperly stabilised 30 list, containers crushed and watered 70 t of HNS on board (inflammable, toxic, corrosive, marine pollutant) Voluntarily stranded on sandy bottom for first intervention, then returned to le Havre for unloading

Mechanical failure at sea, Junior M, Northern Brittany, 1999 Cargo vessel with 6 900 t of

13 Mechanical failure at sea, Junior M, Northern Brittany, 1999 Cargo vessel with t of ammonium nitrate on board, fore part flooded, engine and pumps out of order, drifting toward northern Brittany Towed on Oct. 6 to Brest harbour after risk assessment Cargo unloaded and disposed of on land, 1200 m3 of soiled water released at sea Ship sold for scraping

14 RISKS FOR COASTAL POPULATIONS, HUMAN AND ANIMAL Release of toxic fumes and cloud

Fore peak flooded, evacuated, sinking while on tow: Ievoli Sun, British channel, 2000 Italian chemical tanker, 2

Sinks close to Cotentin traffic lanes, depth 130 m, while on tow to port of refuge.

15 Fore peak flooded, evacuated, sinking while on tow: Ievoli Sun, British channel, 2000 Italian chemical tanker, t of methylethylketon, styrene, and isopropylic alcohol on board - Evacuated after fore peak flooded in storm - Sinks close to Cotentin traffic lanes, depth 130 m, while on tow to port of refuge. - Risk assesment: polymerisation of styrene? Toxic cloud? Tainting of seafood? - Styrene and bunkers pumped, others released in controlled conditions

16 The Ievoli Sun incident generated the creation in the French PolMar response Plan of a specific HNS chapter

17 RISKS OF SOILING COASTLINE AND POISONING MARINE LIFE Oil spill Pesticides spill Foodstuff spill

Loss of containers, Sherbro, British channel, 1991 88 containers overboard in storm on Dec.

18 Loss of containers, Sherbro, British channel, containers overboard in storm on Dec. 8, mostly pesticide, phenol, nitrocellulose, methyl-keton, dichlorethane Includint 4 containers of pesticide plastic pouches each. 1 towed to safety. 90% pouches from others recovered on beaches

19 Stranding + cargo spill: Fenes, Corsica, 1996 Cargo vessel ashore in marine reserve, t of edible wheat spilled on protected plants. rotting wheat producing hydrogen sulfide sulfuric acid = pollution Rotting wheat recoverre by shipowner and releases in high sea

20 Human error entering a port in a storm: Aegean Sea, Galicia, 1992 Oil tanker on stand by out of La Coruna harbour in a storm, instructed to enter in early morning, tonnes of light crude oil on board Misses the entrance of the harbour, gets stranded, fire bursts out, tonnes of oil spilled

Loss of power in a storm + no tug in vicinity: Braer, Shetlands, 1993 Oil tanker Braer, sailing from Norway to USA, with cargo of 84 500 tonnes of light crude oil, through the Shetlands

21 Loss of power in a storm + no tug in vicinity: Braer, Shetlands, 1993 Oil tanker Braer, sailing from Norway to USA, with cargo of tonnes of light crude oil, through the Shetlands route, runs out of power in a storm (water in bunker) No high sea tug based in area. Tanker drifts, gets stranded on south west coast of Shetland and is dismantled by waves on rocky shore

22 The Braer incident generated a full revision of the British marine pollution response plan Through which a high seas tug was based in the Shetlands

Structural failure en route + sinking: Erika, France, 1999 Oil tanker Erika, with 31 000 tonnes of heavy fuel on board, en route from le Havre to Singapore, suffers structural failure in a

23 Structural failure en route + sinking: Erika, France, 1999 Oil tanker Erika, with tonnes of heavy fuel on board, en route from le Havre to Singapore, suffers structural failure in a storm, south west of western Brittany. Crew is evacuated, ship is taken in tow, but it breaks in two and sinks, releasing some tonnes of fuel, which pollute some 400 km of French coastline

24 The Erika incident generated a full revision of the French PolMar response Plan Plus, at European level a set of 3 Erika packages establishing an European oil pollution response organization based on the creation of the European Maritime Safety Agency And European lobbying at the International Maritime Organization to introduce Environmental Damage in the International Compensation Fund for oil pollution

Sructural failure en route + towed away + sinking: Prestige, Spain, 2002 Oil tanker Prestige, with 77 000 tonnes of heavy fuel on board, en route from the Baltic Sea to the Indian Ocean, suffers

25 Sructural failure en route + towed away + sinking: Prestige, Spain, 2002 Oil tanker Prestige, with tonnes of heavy fuel on board, en route from the Baltic Sea to the Indian Ocean, suffers structural failure in a storm, off Galicia. Crew is evacuated, master stays and asks for port of refuge. Request is rejected, ship is taken in tow to high seas It breaks in two 5 days later and sinks. Some tonnes of fuel pollute 1200 km of Spanish and French coastline.

26 The Prestige incident generated a full revision of the Spanish marine pollution response plan And reopened the already closing European doors of possible change, saving the Erika III package from oblivion.

27 RISKS OF OVER-FERTILIZATION OF PHYTOPLANCTON AND SEAWEED Release of fertilizers

Collision + sinking in tow: Ece, British channel,2006 Chemical tanker loaded with 10 000 t of phosphoric acid colliding close to Casquets traffic lanes Sinks while on

28 Collision + sinking in tow: Ece, British channel,2006 Chemical tanker loaded with t of phosphoric acid colliding close to Casquets traffic lanes Sinks while on tow to port of refuge Emergency risk assessment: no immediate and/or severe danger Wreck treatment implemented by shipowner and P&I Club: bunkers pumped, acid released

29 NO DIRECT CONTACT HAZARDS Radioactivity Cancer

deep, with 450 t of radioactive material (cylinders of nuclear waste UF6A)

30 Collision en route and sinking: Mont Louis, North Sea, Belgian coast 1984 After colliding with a ferry boat, the Mont Louis sank in international waters, 15 m deep, with 450 t of radioactive material (cylinders of nuclear waste UF6A) Cylinders salvage was completed 40 days later, under close monitoring UF6 + Water Hydrogen fluoride

31 Structural failure + breaking in 2 + sinking MSC Carla, off Azores, 1997 Container carrier broken in 2 in a storm off Azores Fore part sinks, aft part towed to Las Palmas (Canary islands) 74 containers at sea, among which 14 with HNS, including 1 with laboratory irradiators (Cesium 137) Search for fate of container with Cesium : it was among those which sank in deep sea (3 000 m) Impact assessment: no quantifiable risk

32 A PASSING SHIP SEEN BY COASTAL PEOPLE YESTERDAY The reasonable approach Men and property at risk. Sailors solidarity needed (lighthouses and rescue boats) The excessive approach: stranded ship = bounty at hand Help them stranding

33 A PASSING SHIP SEEN BY COASTAL PEOPLE TODAY The IMO rules say: Respect innocent passage. If needed, save crew (helicopter) If possible, save ship and cargo (at risk of pollution of my waters?) Why should we face the risks and get nothing from ships passage? Make them pay for salvage of crew and any damage

34 A PASSING SHIP POSSIBLY SEEN BY COASTAL PEOPLE TOMORROW Fortunes are passing by and we get nothing from that passage Discussion possible? Then let s agree on a safe passage fee. No discussion possible? Some may revert to piracy (see gulf of Aden)

35 Thank you for your attention!

Section ~ 6 : Avoidance of Pollution. This document, and more, is available for download from Martin's Marine Engineering Page -

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