Shipping and pollution of the Black Sea

Brief information on the current situation in maritime areas

The Black Sea is the largest semi-enclosed anoxic pool in the world. It is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits and to the deep sea of Azov by the Kerch Strait to the north. The Black Sea has an area of 423,000 km2 and contains 547,000 km3 of water. It has regions of salt, sea and fresh water. The major components of the water circuit are river water, precipitation, evaporation and water exchange through the Bosphorus and Kerch straits. Changes in any of these sources severely affect the water balance.

The largest inflow of river water into the Black Sea comes from the northwest coast – the Danube, the Dniester, the Dnieper and the Southern Bug. With an average flow of 208 km3 of water per year, the Danube is the strongest source of fresh water in the northwestern region of the Black Sea. These rivers often carry large loads of nutrients that cause large algae inflorescences in the sea.

Another source of fresh water is rainfall. An average of 225 km3 of precipitation falls on the Black Sea every year. The primary source of this precipitation is atmospheric cyclonic activity moving from west to east in the southern Black Sea. In the northwestern part of the sea, summer rainfall is also a considerable source. While total rainfall on the Black Sea is much lower than the contribution of river runoff, rainfall varies considerably and causes seasonal and annual changes in water balance.

The Black Sea is populated with over 200 species of fish (of which 30 are traded intensively: anchovy, sprat, sardine, herring, ..). The largest fish is the cod, one of the 7 representatives of the Black Sea sturgeon
In total in the Black Sea live 5,600 species of living organisms, less than half compared to other large

About marine transport and pollution risks

In addition to maritime transport, fishing and aquaculture (aquatic species cultivation), the Black Sea is also used for mining, tourism, recreation and military exercises. As the planet’s population grows, so do the needs, leading to an increase in demand for the transportation of goods and services.

Maritime transport is divided into passenger transport and freight transport. Passenger transport is carried out by cruise ships, passenger ships and ferries. Cruise ship transport is intended for tourism and is usually done with large ships. Passenger ships are vessels that carry passengers on regular lines.

Ships carrying both passengers and vehicles are called ferries (Ro Pax). Through them, the transport is ensured, being a multiple means of transport.

For the transport of goods, the vessels vary depending on the type of cargo. They are classified as dry cargo vessels, oil tankers, Ro-Ro ships and chemical carriers.

Dry goods vessels are relatively safer merchant ships than oil tankers. When transporting containers, goods are placed on ships in large boxes, while roll-on-roll (Ro-Ro) ships have been developed for the transport of wheeled vehicles. Due to the rapid increase in global energy consumption, oil companies play an important role in transporting crude oil to destinations where it is refined. In recent years, in addition to oil transportation, natural gas transportation has also developed. Chemical tanks are also used to transport various substances.

So here are how many potential sources of pollution of the Black Sea by shipping, mainly oil and various chemicals or even radioactive substances (lanthanides, actinides, uranium compounds, etc.) so that a certain level of radioactivity is always present.
The ecological balance of the Black Sea region has thus been dramatically altered by eutrophication, filling the waters with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
Maritime transport of oil, exploration and exploitation of marine hydrocarbon deposits, their processing in refineries located in the vicinity of the coastal area, to which are added other anthropogenic activities, generate a number of risk factors, which prevent the production of many pollution incidents. Navigation accidents of large oil tanks or incidents at offshore drilling and exploitation platforms have caused major environmental disasters, with the most severe consequences. Marine ecosystems in polluted regions have suffered major losses and disturbances, which have been felt for a long time.

But currently marine pollution with a predominant quantity is that of plastic, wood, metal, glass and paper waste (ie from sources of human activities) which are difficult to degrade or even non-degradable and are ingested by marine species. More than 180 marine species swallow plastic microparticles, believing them to be food, causing internal damage and even death. Many marine animals, including whales, seals, turtles and fish, are injured and even killed when caught in the middle of marine debris.

Within the EU, a wide range of policies and measures focus on the issue of the source and impact of marine litter. These include legislation on waste management, urban waste water and ship-source pollution. As 80% of all marine litter comes from land, proper waste treatment and better implementation of measures in the code of laws can be a major contribution to improving the quality of our seas. This would also apply to changes in packaging practices, given the amount of plastic used.

In addition to reducing the amount of plastic that reaches our seas, efforts are needed to clean up the mess that already exists. The European Commission in Burussel promotes various “garbage fishing” initiatives. In addition to bringing concrete benefits, they spread the message to the public. The idea of an annual European cleaning day is also being considered.

Sources:

Author: Maria Nastac – President of ECOM