a seafarers guide enviroment

8/13/2019 A Seafarers Guide Enviroment

1/12

1

UNDERSTANDING

The Importance ofProtecting the MarineEnvironment:

ASeafarersGuide


2/12

2

To report a pollutionincident involving your

vessel, you should contact theNational Response Center.

The National ResponseCenter (NRC) is the solefederal point of contactfor reporting oil and

chemical spills.

To report a spill, contact theNRC via their toll-free number+1 800-424-8802orcomplete an online spill-report

form at http://www.nrc.uscg.mil. The NRC website contains

additional information on reporting requirements and procedures.

For those without 800 access, please contact them at+1202-267-2675. The NRC operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,365 days a year.

These materials produced in cooperation with the National Fish andWildlife Foundation and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Illustrations: Lisa LavoieBrochure design: BlissDesign.com


3/12

3

The worlds water plays a very important role in all aspects of

our lives, providing food, employment and other benefits.

Over two-thirds of the worlds population lives within 400 kmof the sea, and just over half of the worlds population lives ina coastal strip 120 miles wide. As many as half a billion peopledraw their livelihoods from the sea in one way or anotherprocessors, packers, shippers, ship builders and others.

Ocean ecosystems provide goodsand servicesvalued atat least several trillion dollars per year, and millions of peopleearn their living directly from the sea.

The Center for Seafarers Rights at the Seamens ChurchInstitute (SCI) publishes this and other resources onenvironmental issues to equip you with information on yourrights while employed and to help you inform other seafarers.We encourage questions, comments and suggestionsfrom readers.

Water:anaturalresource


4/12

4

THE IMPORTANCE OF


5/12

5

PROTECTING THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

What Is the Marine Environment?Oceans, covering over 70%of our planet (i.e. 139 millionsquare miles, or 360 million square kilometers):

Contain 97% of the earths water

Marine ecosystems hold 80%of all life on the planet

Why Is the Marine EnvironmentImportant? Most of the earths oxygen is a product of photosynthesisin ocean

organisms

The fresh wateron the earths surface comes from the oceans

The ocean moderates the earths climateand affects the weather

What Benefits Does the Marine

Environment Provide Humankind? Food (Every year, about 75 million tonsof fish are caught.)

Jobs

Medicines

Minerals

Coastline protection


6/12

6

THE IMPORTANCE OF

What Impact Do Humans Haveon the Marine Environment?

Human activity can alter the oceans with:

Natural resource development(e.g., offshore drilling)

Aquaculture(e.g., farm-raised fish)

Shipping

Pollution (e.g., oil, chemicals, trash, sewage)

Exotic species introduction

(i.e. ships moving from place to place bring organisms with them

to places where they dont belong, disrupting the local marine

environment)

Fishing

Overfishing

Practices that damage the environment

(e.g., bottom trawling, drift nets, bycatch)

Recreation

With the rise in the worlds population, the use of the oceanand its resources has increased, as has the devastationthat results from the accumulation of pollutants in themarine environment.


7/12

7

Marine pollution occurs when hazardous materialsenterthe ocean. These materials can come from:

Marine transportation

Marine dumping

Offshore facilities

Because of the vastness and complexity of marine ecosystems,

we may not always know the extent of marine pollutionseffects.


Pollution has an effect on:

Entire marine ecosystems

Public health

Our marine resources(fisheries, tourism and shipping costs)

To ensure the oceans survival forfuture generations, we all must doour part to protect it.

Whatis

marinepollution?


8/12

8

THE IMPORTANCE OF

Marine pollution can takemany forms, such as:

Garbage

Plastics thrown into the sea can stay

there for many years and harm marine life. A huge number of marineanimals die every year from either ingesting or becoming

entangled in plastic trash.

Garbage can also threaten ships and raise costs when it becomes trapped

on propellersand in seawater intakes.

Sewage Sewage contains chemicalsthat alter the marine environment, causing

some marine life to die and other marine life to flourish. This throws off the

natural balance of marine ecosystems.

Sewage can also deprive marine environments of oxygen,

killing off entire populations in affected areas.

Products with potentially harmful effects

When released into the oceans, chemicals used in the shipping industry

(sometimes referred to as chemical runoff) can cause harm to marine life

as well as to maritime workers.

Oilpoisons marine life, and oil slicks keep sunlight from penetrating theoceans water, killing plants and damaging the entire marine ecosystem.

Noisefrom a ships sonar can have devastating effects on marine animals

like whales and dolphins that use sound to communicate with one another.


9/12

9



10/12

10

THE IMPORTANCE OF

HowDoesShippingPollutionImpact the Marine Environment?Ocean currents take pollutants far from the site of the initialcontamination.

Shipping pollution can have devastating effects on the marineenvironment. These effects include:

Mechanicaleffects on marine life, which damage the organisms

functions

Eutrophiceffects, which cause some forms of bacteria to flourish at the

cost of other forms of ocean life

Saprogeniceffects, which cause oxygen deficiency and kill ocean

organisms

Toxiceffects, which damage reproduction, feeding and respiration

Mutageniceffects, which cause cancer and wound marine organisms

Effects from oil spillscan quickly devastate the marine environment

(Ten minutes after a spill of one ton of oil, it can spread to a radius of

50 meters, forming an oil slick 10 millimeters thick.)


11/12

11

We hope this is a helpful general guide for youand your shipmates to protect the environmentwhile promoting a safe and effi cient workplace.Remember, the actions of you andyour fellow crew members can havea lasting impactits critical thatcommunication on board is clearand constant.

To contact the Center for Seafarers Rights,please email us [email protected] call +1 973-589-5828.

Douglas B. Stevenson, Director


Conclusion

Humans depend on the marine environment formany things, and we have a very large impact onit. If we want to continue to depend on the marine

environment, we have to do a better job of controlling ouruse of it.

Seafarers play a critical role, as they earn their living fromthe sea and can set an example for each other and for the restof the world.


12/12

12

2011 The Seamens Church Institute of New York and New Jersey

seamenschurch.orgTo view this pamphlet online, visit http://seamenschurch.org/environmental-guide

a seafarers guide enviroment

Documents