It goes without saying that sea plastic pollution is one of the deadliest threats to the environment. From extraction to disposal, plastic pollutes at every stage of its life cycle and poses a danger to our wildlife, our planet and to humanity as a whole.
When it comes to sea plastic pollution, governing bodies all across the world are already under increasing pressure to act as a result of growing public awareness. However, certain stakeholders, business owners and operators in the maritime sector are already stepping up and taking action. To clean up our oceans and stop the issue from growing, efforts are already being made to reduce the amount of single-use plastic winding up in our oceans.
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So what is sea plastic pollution? And how is the maritime industry fighting sea plastic pollution?
What is sea plastic pollution?
As the name suggests, sea plastic pollution is the contamination of our oceans by plastic waste such as single-use water bottles and plastic packaging. So what is plastic? And why is it so bad for our marine ecosystems?
Plastic is a synthetic organic polymer made using raw materials such as oil, fossil gas and coal. Used for a diverse range of products across a number of industries, it earned its name for its supposed malleability. It is this property which led to the use of plastic in a myriad of products, particularly single-use products such as water bottles and takeaway packaging. Once hailed ‘the material of the 21st century’, global plastic production has exploded since its initial discovery, from five million tonnes annually in the 1960s to a whopping 460 million tonnes in 2019. Today, single-use plastic accounts for half of the plastic produced globally every year – and a significant portion of that waste is winding up in our oceans.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The majority of plastic that enters our oceans is buoyant. As a result, it travels with the winds and currents, to build up in spiralling ocean currents. The largest known build-up of plastic has been nicknamed The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and is a whopping 1.6 million km2 pile of plastic waste.
The most common types of plastic litter winding up in our oceans include…
- Single-use packaging such as takeaway containers
- Shipping and fishing-related waste from the maritime sector
- Sewage
- Microplastics and nanoplastics
Unfortunately without immediate action, large accumulations of plastic such as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch are only set to get bigger. In fact, one report published by the United Nations Environment Programme, also known as the UNEP, states by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans unless a forward-thinking strategy is put into place. To enact change and spark a green revolution, there needs to be the widespread implementation of environmentally sustainable practices and processes. Doing so could kickstart decarbonisation across a number of global industries and sectors, as well as put pressure on important stakeholders and businesses to enact change within their own operations. This is where the maritime sector comes in.
Sea plastic pollution and waste in the maritime industry
Growing public awareness of sea plastic pollution is putting pressure on governments all over the world to take action. However, some stakeholders, business owners and operators in the maritime industry are already making moves and forging a greener road ahead.
Without action, sea plastic pollution could have an unimaginable impact on the maritime sector as well as the global economy. This is because the industry relies solely on the ocean to continue operating – and without our oceans, shipping and transportation supply chains would grind to a halt, resulting in untold consequences for economies all over the world. As a result, it is in the maritime sector’s best interest to preserve our oceans and spark a global green revolution.
An end to single-use plastic
For the maritime industry, sitting on the sidelines when it comes to sea plastic pollution is simply not an option. That’s why many businesses, owners, operators and stakeholders are already implementing more environmentally sustainable processes in their operations including the implementation of more sustainable ship management services such as green retrofitting, green corridors and decarbonisation through zero carbon shipping. There are also a number of smaller actions and projects that are being taken, including a commitment to reduce the use of single-use plastic both at sea and onshore.
An effort is also being made in waste management and reduction for the purpose of cleaning up our oceans and preventing the issue from escalating. This allows for a safer and more healthy working environment for seafarers and other offshore workers, who are also being encouraged to take part in reducing the quantity of trash produced aboard ships. Actions taken so far include the replacement of plastic water bottles and cutlery with reusable aluminium bottles, forks, knives and spoons as well as a reduction in the amount of single-use packaging.
By utilising different maritime technologies to remove existing waste and rubbish, there is also an opportunity to actually reverse the direct and indirect impacts of industrial and human activity, meaning there may be a future for proper recycling systems and good waste management solutions onboard in the future. At the end of the day, plastic debris and waste is a transboundary concern. Global collaborative action is absolutely necessary for the development and deployment of technology that maps, monitors and minimises the overall environmental footprint of both plastic products and the maritime sector overall.
Final thoughts
It should go without saying that one of the deadliest threats to human existence as a whole is sea plastic pollution and marine contamination. Plastic pollutes at every stage of its life cycle, from extraction to disposal, endangering wildlife, the environment and the future of the human race. While this sounds exaggerated, the reality is that the ocean plays a massive role in the ecological status of our planet overall – in fact, it currently holds about 39,000 gigatonnes of carbon and plays an instrumental role in curbing the full impacts of climate change.
When it comes to sea plastic pollution and the clean-up of our oceans, many governments are under increasing pressure to act. This pressure is only set to mount as public pressure continues to grow. Fortunately, stakeholders, business owners and operators in the maritime sector are stepping up to the plate. To clean up our oceans and stop the issue of sea plastic pollution from escalating further, efforts are already being made to reduce the amount of single-use plastic winding up in our oceans. While it’s just a start, the maritime industry’s position in the global market as a major player may just be enough to kickstart a green revolution and forge a more environmentally sustainable path.
