Tarballs dot India’s west coast annually, indicating continued oil spills, ship fuel discharge
- November 24, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Tarballs dot India’s west coast annually, indicating continued oil spills, ship fuel discharge
Subject: Environment
Context:
Tarballs-
- These are dark, sticky balls surfaced every year after monsoon spell on the coastline of India’s western states, from Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa to Karnataka.
- These are a seasonal phenomenon.
- Tarballs affect marine life and flag concerns about oil spills from an offshore oil rig along the Maharashtra-Gujarat coast in the Arabian Sea.
Origin–
- These weathered oil blobs are often remnants of oil spills
- Can also be produced from natural seeps, places where oil slowly escapes from the earth’s surface above some petroleum reservoirs.
Goa’s beaches reveal a similar story-
- 2021-22 witnessed huge tarballs along almost all beaches, including Morjim, Vagator, Anjuna and Arambol beaches.
- Researchers at India’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) documented the sources of the 2010/11 tarballs that appeared in Goa to be from oil tanker wash, while the probable source for the tarballs in Gujarat’s coasts in 2012 was the crude oil spill from the Bombay High (BH) offshore oil rig.
Ocean-atmosphere patterns-
- The monsoon has a connection with tarballs.
- From the southern hemisphere, winds blowing from the Australian coast cross the equator and start hitting the mainland of India around mid-May or June.
- Since these changes in the wind direction are happening in the atmosphere, including its lowermost part near the Earth’s surface, sea waves also get influenced.
- This is why during the southwest monsoon season, from June to September, these winds slam India’s west coast.
- Waves and ocean currents near the surface move towards the west coast, and lead to accumulations like the tarballs being washed ashore along beaches.
Oil spills from ships-
- According to a report by the Ministry of Shipping, around 95% of India’s trading by volume and 70% by value is through maritime transport.
- India is also a signatory to the MARPOL Convention – International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships – which covers the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
Laws and convention to prevent marine pollution-
- The MARPOL Convention was adopted on November 2, 1973, by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
- Under the Territorial Waters, Continental Self, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976, the power to control and regulate marine pollution falls within the central government’s jurisdiction.
- Pollution Control Boards and municipal authorities do have the power to be called upon for rendering assistance or provision of any specific facilities..
- For ships causing oil spills, provisions for civil liability laid down under Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 may be invoked.
- The owner of a ship causing an oil spill can be held liable from the first instance of occurrence if it is a series of events that has led to the oil spill.
- There are legal provisions (like NGT) to ensure the protection of marine life.
- In-situ conservation is one of the mechanisms for the protection of species.
Scattered data is a challenge-
- The Indian Coast Guard has a mandate to provide reports to the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Shipping and other allied Ministries as and when an instance of an oil spill occurs.
- The NGT may also constitute committees and ask for detailed reports to be submitted to it in the event of oil spills.
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Treaty)
- The MARPOL is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
- The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977.
- The current convention is a combination of the 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol, which entered into force on 2 October 1983.
- The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships – and currently includes six technical Annexes:
- Annex I: Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil
- Annex II: Regulations for the Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk
- Annex III: Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form
- Annex IV: Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships
- Annex V: Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships
- Annex VI: Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships
- In 2011, IMO became the first international regulator for a transport sector to adopt globally binding energy efficiency requirements, which apply to all ships globally, regardless of trading pattern or flag State, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.
International Maritime Organization
- The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
- IMO is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent pollution from ships.
- It is also involved in legal matters, including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.
- It was established by means of a Convention adopted under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 17 March 1948 and met for the first time in January 1959.
- It currently has 174 Member States.