Discharges to the sea Oil Name – Date
Discharges to the sea - Oil Contents Introduction Oil and oil products What happens to an oil spill? Main impacts Ecological Economic Vegetable oils The role of shipping Solutions 2 Photo credits: ITOPF/North Sea Foundation
1. Introduction The importance of oil In 2011: production of 87 million barrels per day Oil in the sea is seen as a major environmental problem. Oil may enter the environment during production, transport and use. Photo credits: ProSea
Large variety of products 2. Oil and oil products Large variety of products Diesel oil, gas oil, kerosene, LPG, bunkeroil Crude Oil - mix 30% gasoil 10% kerosene 15 % light distillate 25 % heavy distillate 20% residu Photo credits: North Sea Foundation
Crude oil also contains Nitrogen, Sulphur , Oxygen Different heavy metals (Fe, Zn) Hundreds of different chemicals Chemical composition varies
3. What happens to an oil spill Very fast evaporation (C1 to C10) Soluble fraction Floating layer (>C10), subject to natural dispersion A persistent floating layer (>C15) Illustration credits: ProSea
Weathering Photo and illustration credits: ITOPF
Persistence of oil Photo credits: ITOPF
Oil in the sea is seen as a major environmental 4. Main impacts Oil in the sea is seen as a major environmental problem – big spills get a lot of attention Photo credits: ITOPF
4. Main impacts - ecological Impact depends on: Type and amount of oil Weather conditions and season Area where the spill takes place Adverse effects of oil discharges at sea depend more on the site of discharge than on the size of the discharge. Photo credits: ITOPF
Birds Photo credits:Ecomare
Toxic effects/plankton Salt marsh/mangroves Tainting shellfish Photo credits:NIOZ, Josje Snoek/ProSea/Ecomare
4. Main impacts - economic Photo credits: ITOPF/NOAA
5. Vegetable oils Oil extractions from plants and fruit such as palm nut, sunflower, soybean, olive, ... They are not as ‘innocent’ as we might think Vegetable oil spill can be equally problematic as mineral oil spill Plumage of birds Fur of mammals Smothering of bottom dwellers Photo credits: ELASTEC AmericanMarine
6. The role of shipping Where does oil in the sea come from? Total (2002) – 1,3 million tons oil (1973 – 6,1 million) Natural seeps 600.000 (47%) Extraction 38.000 (3%) Transportation 150.000 (12%) - tank vessel spills (100.000) - operational discharges (36.000) Consumption 480.000 (38%) - land-based (140.000) - operational discharges (270.000) - spills (7.000) ‘Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates and Effect’, National Research Council. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, U.S., 2002.
Accidental spills: 8% of all oil in the sea Photo credits:ITOPF
Operational discharges all ships: 24% of all oil in the sea Photo credits: ProSea
6. The role of shipping Since 1979, the amount of oil in the sea, as a result of shipping operations, has declined drastically. Spills over 700 tons Illustration credits: ITOPF
6. The role of shipping Only a small fraction of oil in the marine environment comes from tanker accidents Routine shipping operations contribute three times as much Photo credits: ITOPF/ProSea
7. Solutions MARPOL Annex I (oil and oil products) Discharge permitted, under certain circumstances (15 ppm) Double hull Oil Record book Special areas
Oily bilge water separator Photo credits: Environmental Protection Engineering S.A.
Incinerator Photo credits: Atlas Incinerators
Port reception facilities Photo credits: Port of Rotterdam
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