Questões de EFAF Inglês - Comprehension

IMO Action Plan to address marine plastic litter from ships

 

    IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in 2018 adopted the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Action Plan to address marine plastic litter from ships, which aims to enhance existing regulations and introduce new supporting measures to reduce marine plastic litter from ships.

What is marine litter?

    Plastic materials in all shapes and sizes are omnipresent in our seas and oceans. They break down extremely slowly in the marine environment, taking in excess of 400 vyears. Marine litter originates from many sources and causes a wide spectrum of environmental, economic, safety, health and cultural impacts. For example, marine litter can cause harm to sea life 1f ingested or even death if a marine mammal becomes entangled in litter.

    Marine litter has been defined by UN Environment (United Nations Environment) as “any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Marie htter consists of items that have been made or used by people and deliberately discarded into the sea or rivers or on beaches; brought indirectly to the sea with nvers, sewage, storm water or winds; accidentally lost, including material lost at sea im bad weather (fishing gear, cargo); or deliberately left by people on beaches and shores.”

    Marine litter, including plastics and microplastics, is known to result from land-based sources in massive quantities but can also originate from ships. Debris particles have been observed in coastal areas, in waters far from anthropogenic pollution sources, in surface waters, in the water column of deep water and in ocean sediments, and from the equator to the poles, including trapped in sea ice.

    UN Environment estimates that 15% of marine  litter floats on the sea's surface, 15% remains m the water column and 70% rests on the seabed.

    According to another study, 5.25 million plastic particles, weighing 268,940 tonnes in total, are currently floating in the world”s oceans.

What problems does marine litter cause?

    In addition to the environmental and health problems posed by marine litter, floating garbage and plastics pose a costly as well as dangerous problem for shipping, as they can be a navigational hazard and become entangled in propellers and rudders.

    Another problem requiring urgent remedial action 1s the massive accumulation of plastics, not only in coastal areas but also in the deep sea.

    This litter is harmful to marine life: sea creatures can become trapped inside containers or strangled by nets or ropes, and microplastics can also enter the food chain as they are indigestible when swallowed.

(Adapted from https://www.imo.org)

“They break down extremely slowly in the marine environment, taking in excess of 400 years.” The underlined expression means:

Read the text below and answer question.

 

Maersk, the worlds largest shipping company, says the Suez Canal blockage's economic fallout will continue into second half of May

Kevin Shalvey
Apr 11, 2021, 9:01 AM

 

    Fallout from the Ever Given's time lodged in the Suez Canal will “ripple” through the economy for the next few weeks or months, according to Maersk, the world's biggest shipping company.

    “We will see ripple effects continuing into the second half of May,” Lars Mikael Jensen, head of Maersk's Global Ocean Network, told The Financial Times.

    The Ever Given, which is among the world”s largest container ships, was lodged in the canal for six days, effectively closing one of the world”s most important trade routes.

    The Ever Given was operated by the  Taiwan- based shipping company Evergreen Group. The ship was freed on March 29.

    Maersk predicted knock-on effects from the blockage. In an updated press advisory posted on Thursday, the company said it was pleased to see that the queue waiting at the canal was rapidly diminishing.

    “For each day that passes we are getting a clearer picture of what this incident means for our customers,” the company said.

    Maersk said about 50 ships had been delayed for about a week because of the blockage. Some of those ships waited on either end of the canal, while others were redirected around the Cape of Good Hope.

    The effects of those delays will be felt in ports around the world, the company said. Its advisory warned that delays may vary by location. Busy ports and terminals may not have berths for ships arriving outside their originally scheduled windows. The company previously said shipping backlog may take months to unravel.

    “Even when the canal gets reopened, the ripple effects on global capacity and equipment are significant and the blockage has already triggered a series of further disruptions and backlog in global shipping that could take weeks, possibly months, to unravel,” Maersk said in a statement back when the Ever Given was still lodged in the canal.

(Adapted from https://www.businessinsider.com maersk-ever-given- suez-canal-blockage-economic-fallout-late-may-2021-4)

According to the text, it is possible to conclude that

Read the text below and answer question.

 

Maersk, the worlds largest shipping company, says the Suez Canal blockage's economic fallout will continue into second half of May

Kevin Shalvey
Apr 11, 2021, 9:01 AM

 

    Fallout from the Ever Given's time lodged in the Suez Canal will “ripple” through the economy for the next few weeks or months, according to Maersk, the world's biggest shipping company.

    “We will see ripple effects continuing into the second half of May,” Lars Mikael Jensen, head of Maersk's Global Ocean Network, told The Financial Times.

    The Ever Given, which is among the world”s largest container ships, was lodged in the canal for six days, effectively closing one of the world”s most important trade routes.

    The Ever Given was operated by the  Taiwan- based shipping company Evergreen Group. The ship was freed on March 29.

    Maersk predicted knock-on effects from the blockage. In an updated press advisory posted on Thursday, the company said it was pleased to see that the queue waiting at the canal was rapidly diminishing.

    “For each day that passes we are getting a clearer picture of what this incident means for our customers,” the company said.

    Maersk said about 50 ships had been delayed for about a week because of the blockage. Some of those ships waited on either end of the canal, while others were redirected around the Cape of Good Hope.

    The effects of those delays will be felt in ports around the world, the company said. Its advisory warned that delays may vary by location. Busy ports and terminals may not have berths for ships arriving outside their originally scheduled windows. The company previously said shipping backlog may take months to unravel.

    “Even when the canal gets reopened, the ripple effects on global capacity and equipment are significant and the blockage has already triggered a series of further disruptions and backlog in global shipping that could take weeks, possibly months, to unravel,” Maersk said in a statement back when the Ever Given was still lodged in the canal.

(Adapted from https://www.businessinsider.com maersk-ever-given- suez-canal-blockage-economic-fallout-late-may-2021-4)

In “The company previously said shipping backlog may take months to unravel”, the company

Read the text below and answer question.

 

Maersk, the worlds largest shipping company, says the Suez Canal blockage's economic fallout will continue into second half of May

Kevin Shalvey
Apr 11, 2021, 9:01 AM

 

    Fallout from the Ever Given's time lodged in the Suez Canal will “ripple” through the economy for the next few weeks or months, according to Maersk, the world's biggest shipping company.

    “We will see ripple effects continuing into the second half of May,” Lars Mikael Jensen, head of Maersk's Global Ocean Network, told The Financial Times.

    The Ever Given, which is among the world”s largest container ships, was lodged in the canal for six days, effectively closing one of the world”s most important trade routes.

    The Ever Given was operated by the  Taiwan- based shipping company Evergreen Group. The ship was freed on March 29.

    Maersk predicted knock-on effects from the blockage. In an updated press advisory posted on Thursday, the company said it was pleased to see that the queue waiting at the canal was rapidly diminishing.

    “For each day that passes we are getting a clearer picture of what this incident means for our customers,” the company said.

    Maersk said about 50 ships had been delayed for about a week because of the blockage. Some of those ships waited on either end of the canal, while others were redirected around the Cape of Good Hope.

    The effects of those delays will be felt in ports around the world, the company said. Its advisory warned that delays may vary by location. Busy ports and terminals may not have berths for ships arriving outside their originally scheduled windows. The company previously said shipping backlog may take months to unravel.

    “Even when the canal gets reopened, the ripple effects on global capacity and equipment are significant and the blockage has already triggered a series of further disruptions and backlog in global shipping that could take weeks, possibly months, to unravel,” Maersk said in a statement back when the Ever Given was still lodged in the canal.

(Adapted from https://www.businessinsider.com maersk-ever-given- suez-canal-blockage-economic-fallout-late-may-2021-4)

According to the text, it is possible to infer that

Mark the correct option to complete the excerpt below.

Oil spill reported at Golden Ray wreck site

I- ________ Unified Command in charge of II- ________ disposal of III- ________ wreck in Golden Ray reported IV- ________ oil spill which V- ________ workers were attempting to contain both on VI- ________ water and along VII- ________ coastline of St. Simons Sound.

(Adapted from https://www.fleetmon.com.oil...)

Based on the text, answer question.

 

First ship tunnel to be constructed in Norway

 

    Norway plans for a pioncering construction project that will facilitate ship transportation. The plan includes the construction of a tunnel from which ships will pass by in order to avoid the Stad - peninsula. The endeavor has been underway since 2017 and was approved by Norway's Ministry of Transport and Communications im late February 2021.

    The waters in the Stad peninsula are dangerous since it is an exposed area where navigation is challenging. Except for the water currents, the underwater topography creates additional issues including unpredictable waves which may persist for a significant amount of time after a storm has passed.

    The Norwegian Coastal Administration stated that plans for alternatives such as the one currently underway have been suggested for years. Even the Vikings used to drag their ships over the land in order to avoid the dangerous conditions around the peninsula. During World War II, the Germans also made plans to construct a similar project, however, according to Terje Andreassen, head of the Norwegian Coastal Administration, “the war didn't last long enough to build it”.

    The tunnel will create an alternative, faster route for ships around the peninsula. It will stretch for 1700 meters and will be 37 and 36 meters im height and width, respectively. The construction will begin from the two sides of the tunnel (probably using the dnlling and blasting technique). The tunnel face will be excavated in multiple phases. The top of the tunnel will be supported by a layer of shotcrete. Routes from which the excavated material will be transported outside of the tunnel will also be established.

    The two entrances of the tunnel will feature walls made from the excavated rocks. The interior of the facility will have led lights that will function both as an aesthetic and a navigation tool. The design aims at making the tunnel fit with the surrounding nature and not interrupt the natural environment.

    The total cost of the project is expected to reach $325MM with officials mentioning that funding has been secured. The construction process is planned to begin in early 2022 after signing a contract in 2021. Officials suggest that the construction phase will last for 3-4 years, hence, the tunnel will be completed by 2026.

    Norway is a pioneermg country for tunnel engineering and has more than 1,100 facilities. The rough terrain and the rockmass conditions (which are generally good) have favored the establishment of such projects.

    Despite the excitement for the project, not everyone is in favor of it. According to Knut Samset, Professor of project management at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the project is not going to be financially prosperous due to its high cost, the fact that it will not always be the faster route and that modem ships will not be obliged to use it. “It's a very expensive thing. Weather permitting, it's as fast to sail around the cape as it is to sail into the fjord and through the tunnel. Plus, today”s boats are big enough and safe enough to handle the choppy waters, which makes traveling through the tunnel a moot point.”, Prof. Samset stated.

(From https:// www .gecengineer.org>news)

According to the text, which option is correct?