Response to hazardous materials lost to the sea: The current position

Abstract

Hazardous materials may be lost to the sea through damage to bulk chemical tank ships; when cargo is spilled free into the marine environment, when intact packages of such materials, generally carried as deck cargo, are lost to the sea from ships, or when such packages remain aboard sunken ships. This paper compares and contrasts bulk oil and chemical spillage, identifies the salient features controlling the fate of spilled chemicals which in turn define the nature of the response requirements and describes responses now available and under consideration. It goes on to propose criteria for allocation of packaged hazardous materials into three search and recovery categories as a basis for deciding on choice of response at sea in specific cases involving the lost packages and describes the procedure for dealing with any such packages washed ashore.