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Marine pollution in Turkey

by | 20-09-2012 07:18 recommendations 0

Although Turkey escaped the full brunt of the cyanide pollution from the Romanian mine accident, it has not been so fortunate with pollution from oil spills that have affected the shores of the Anatolian peninsula. Increased shipping traffic through the narrow Bosporus Straits has heightened fears of a major accident that could have serious environmental consequences and endanger the health of the 12 million residents of Istanbul that live on either side of the Straits.

The Straits==a 19-mile channel with 12 abrupt, angular windings==have witnessed an increase in shipping traffic since the end of the Cold War to the point that over 45,000 vessels per year (one every 12 minutes) now pass through them. This increased congestion has led to a growing number of accidents between 1988 and 1992, there were 155 collisions in the Straits.

With the high volume of oil being shipped through the Bosporus, oil tanker accidents can release large quantities of oil into the marine environment. This danger was underscored in March 1994, when the Greek Cypriot tanker Nassia collided with another ship, killing 30 seamen and spilling 20,000 tons of oil into the Straits. The resulting oil slick turned the waters of the Bosporus into a raging inferno for five days, but because the accident occurred in the Straits a few miles north of the city, a potential urban disaster was averted.

In the aftermath of the 1994 Nassia disaster, Turkey passed regulations requiring ships carrying hazardous materials to report to the Turkish environmental protection ministry. However, Turkey's power to regulate commercial shipping through the Straits is limited by the 1936 Treaty of Montreux that delineates the Straits as an international waterway. Although subsequent international agreements have given Turkey the right to regulate the right of passage through the Straits to ensure a steady and safe flow of traffic, due to pressure from some Black Sea border countries, Turkey has not been stringently enforcing the shipping laws passed in 1994. Thus, only a small number of vessels passing through the Straits report their cargo.

As the number of ships through the Straits grows, the risk of accidents increases, and traffic will likely increase as the six countries surrounding the Black Sea develop economically. With tonnage on the rise as well, the threat of collision is not the only danger: on December 29, 1999, the Volgoneft-248, a 25-year old Russian tanker, ran aground and split in two in close proximity to the southwest shores of Istanbul. More than 800 tons of the 4,300 tons of fuel-oil on board spilled into the Marmara Sea, covering the coast of Marmara with fuel-oil and affecting about 5 square miles of the sea.

In addition, while major spills can bring about immediate environmental consequences, the presence of large oil- and gas-carrying ships in the Straits causes other problems, such as the day to day release of contaminated water as the ships ballast their holds. Pollution in the Straits contributed to a decline in fishing levels to 1/60th their former levels. In the Black Sea, meanwhile, overfishing and pollution have left the ecosystem nearly defunct. Cleanup costs are estimated as high as $15 billion==far beyond the reach of the six countries bordering the sea. Although the 1996 Black Sea Strategic Action Plan envisions the establishment of a Black Sea Environmental Fund, financed by fees and levies on activities which use the Black Sea environment, more international financial support is needed.

To reduce the strain on the marine environment caused by ship traffic, Turkey has backed alternative means to transport oil and gas from Central Asia. Turkey has championed the Caspian oil pipeline route from Baku to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, as well as the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline from Turkmenistan across Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey. Although Turkey supported the creation of a pipeline route ending at the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa for the "early oil" from the Caspian Sea, Turkey continues to support the Ceyhan terminal in the long-run to reduce the amount of oil shipped to Black Sea ports (which then must pass through the Bosporus to world markets). However, a recent Kazakh-Russian deal to ship more oil to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk guarantees that more oil will continue to flow through the Straits.



 

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2 Comments

  • says :
    Ah!! Would you change your personal information?
    I want you to upload your picture so that everybody can know more of you.
    If you don't know how to do it, i can kindly guide you.
    Posted 21-09-2012 11:32

  • says :
    Wow it's a very inforamtive article.
    Actually, I've lived there for 1 and half year.
    So the picture of the Bosporus reminds me of good memories.
    I thought that the ships looked so romantic.
    With your article, I can see that it is a big risk for marine environment.
    Thank you~
    Posted 21-09-2012 11:31

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