Oil Spill Blog

Boatyards and ports contribute a lot to the economic development by providing services for boats and ships belonging to public as well as private sectors. Despite the fact that pollution occurring in marinas, boatyards, and ports seem trivial, their consequences are as serious as that of bigger oil leaks. Carrying out pollution prevention techniques in these regions is highly necessary. Source reduction and recycling programs can help a lot. However, you should first understand the various sources of pollution.

The first source of pollution that seems to be a biggest challenge is activities concerned with boats and ships. As activities, such as maintenance, fueling, repair, and painting cannot be restricted; a pollution prevention strategy must be carried out instead. Limiting various activities like boat/ship painting, blasting, sanding, and stripping to a specific area, can help prevent pollution to a great extent.

Vessel operations are the next source of pollution! Every vessel owner or operator must ensure that vessel sewage is managed properly and effectively. Improper discharge of bilge water that is contaminated with oil, fuel, or other contaminants is illegal. So, use oil spill cleaners like Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 to remove the port oil spills before subjecting your boat/ship for bilge pumpout. Oil spill removers should also be used while loading and unloading of vessels as there are pretty good chances of oil leaks. Dry dock maintenance and non-dry dock containment are some vital factors to be considered. Above all recycling of materials like glass, aluminum, plastic, trash, newspapers, and batteries in specific collection facilities can be of great help.

Besides these factors, other possible pollutants include heavy metals, hydrocarbons, toxic chemicals, and PCBs. It is high time that we start realizing the seriousness of this issue and put a stop to the pollution occurring in marinas, boatyards, and ports.

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Constant loading and unloading of oil tankers and other vessels in ports make the place prone to toxic pollution. As these places are just a stone’s throw away from the marine environment, it is crucial to make sure that port oil spills and other port wastes don’t disturb the aquatic beings. Apart from the pollutants generated by normal port operations, the area gets even more polluted if port tenants dump wastes nearby.

A similar situation arose in 2007 in Port of Los Angeles. The US EPA found that four tenants of Port of Los Angeles were discarding wastes into San Pedro Harbor. Oil and greasy wastes, metals, acidic wastewater, and other industrial pollutants were some of the trash dumped into the harbor. These violations came to light when the U.S. EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Quality Control Board conducted an inspection covering ports located in Los Angeles and Long Beach. These firms were later fined for violating the Clean Water Act!

One thing is pretty clear from the Port of Los Angeles issue. Apart from waste management plans and environmental laws, an effective cooperation between the port officials and the tenants is needed to keep the ports free of pollution!

Port oil spills and wastes can be minimized to a certain extent, but completely avoiding them is way beyond reality. So, there undeniable has to be an effective remedy to deal with environmental issues in ports and harbors. If chemical cleaners and detergents are used to get rid of the wastes, then there is every chance that these cleaners make their way into the ocean waters. So, idea of substituting chemical cleaners with eco-friendly cleaners should reinforced.

Oil Gone Easy S-200 is a green formulation that will prove helpful while clearing out oil wastes. It will also not cause any kind of environmental threat. This product makes use of oil-eating micro organisms to convert oily wastes into nontoxic byproducts. With such eco-friendly products and a deep sense of respect for nature, we will definitely be able to make our planet clean and green!

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