Report: Accidents Likely In Environmentally Fragile Seas
Many of the world's most accident-prone waters for shipping are also among the most delicate marine ecosystems, according to a new study released Friday by WWF International.
The fear of something like a major oil spill in environmentally sensitive waters comes as the number of vessels plying the world's oceans has risen 20 percent in the past 15 years, from 85,000 to 105,000, the report, released on World Oceans Day, says.
"Since 1999 there have been 293 shipping accidents in the South China Sea and East Indies, home of the Coral Triangle and 76 percent of the world's coral species," says Simon Walmsley, WWF International's marine manager. "As recently as April this year we've seen a Chinese fishing boat run aground on a protected coral reef in the Philippines that had already been damaged by a U.S. Navy ship in January."
The report says that general cargo vessels account for 40 percent of all ships lost at sea, and fishing boats for nearly a quarter.
The WWF warns:
"Climate change models show increased storm surges, changing wind and wave patterns and extreme weather events which are likely to exacerbate the risks of foundering leading to potential catastrophic environmental destruction. Fifty percent of all accidents are caused by foundering, where a boat sinks due to rough weather, leaks or breaking in two."