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 hitter 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)
Mark the correct option to complete the statements below.
I - Brazilian people responsible for litter discarded.
II - Shipping debris seen in coastal waters too.
III - Cattle as important as marine species.
IV -The police investigating crime against the environment.
V - New statistics on marine litter decrease not reliable.
Based on the text, answer question.
What the Ever Given can tell us about mental health at sea
Captain Lee Clarke from Tapiit Live on one of the overlooked aspects stemming from last month's Suez blockage
Thirty days ago, a ship named Ever Given was sailing in relative anonymity. Twenty-nine days ago, that same ship found itself splashed across the front cover of every national newspaper from London to Lima.
In a matter of hours, the ship and its 25 strong crew went from highly skilled seafarers to media targets. In the maelstrom of social media memes, newspaper cover stories and “special reports”, one major thing was forgotten, more likely ignored: the crew”s mental well-being.
In a world of social media, everyone is an expert, and never has that been felt more in the maritime industry than now. A frenzy of blame erupted almost instantly with little or no merit or fact-checking, as evidenced by the naming of a female officer as the Ever Given's Captain, regardless of the fact she was over 200 miles away on another vessel.
Being a seafarer is a stressful job, irrespective of a global incident, especially when you factor in being away from family for extended periods and working contract to contract with little job security. You also have to cope with fatigue, extreme weather conditions and intense time pressure placed upon the crew and its Master by multiple state and global agencies as well as the ship's own charter. So, add to that taking the “blame” for halting $9.6 billion of trade a day, understandably, stress levels rise astronomically.
As an industry, mental health appears still to be very much a taboo topic. Seafarers are more likely to be signed off and dismissed for being deemed “unfit to serve” than they are to recerve any form of support. Whilst onboard, the mood will feel somewhat supportive with the crew banding together to keep the ship operating, internally, each and every seafarer, from deckhand to Master will be wortying about their reputation and thus, their employability.
I- my experience as a Captain, your crew is your first line II- defence III - any major incident. As soon as something goes awry, they burst IV - action, theyre trained to do so, it's instinctive. I have no doubt, everyone aboard the Ever Given did everything V- their power to protect that ship and avoid a major incident, but some things are VI- your control. In reality, they will never be praised for saving the ship, only criticised for grounding it.
This crew is acutely aware of the issues the incident has caused and they are reminded of It every time they open their phone or computer to read the news or speak to their families, and I feel for every single one of them.
They' re now stuck in an Egyptian lake, further away from their families, without the ability to defend themselves with the threat of civil and criminal charges looming. This downward spiral will undoubtedly be taking its toll on their mental health and in the past, there hasn't been much of a support system in place to help.
Based on my experience offshore, working for a company that provides mental well-being training, and from all of the feedback, Tapit has gamered from its live-streamed mental health awareness courses, seafarers want and need this support. Yet, there's a deep-rooted fear that admitting they“re struggling and asking for help will be the end of their careers.
Of course, the conversation has advanced significantly, however, it's still not where it should be. The harsh reality is, the Ever Given and its crew will be forgotten about in a month or two's time, but this crew is hurting and will continue to struggle with the mental health issues caused by the Incident for years to come.
(Adapted from https://splash247.com>what-the-ev...)
Read the sentences and mark the correct option about the text.
I) Captain Lee Clarke reckons that the crew of the Ever Given busted a gut to steer clear of jeopardies.
II) The crew”s mental well-being was slighted.
III) Seafarers are usually given the sack for being unwary.
IV) The crew of the Ever Given stood out for being clumsy.
V) It was settled that there was a female skipper who rode herd on the Ever Given.
Based on the text, answer question.
What the Ever Given can tell us about mental health at sea
Captain Lee Clarke from Tapiit Live on one of the overlooked aspects stemming from last month's Suez blockage
Thirty days ago, a ship named Ever Given was sailing in relative anonymity. Twenty-nine days ago, that same ship found itself splashed across the front cover of every national newspaper from London to Lima.
In a matter of hours, the ship and its 25 strong crew went from highly skilled seafarers to media targets. In the maelstrom of social media memes, newspaper cover stories and “special reports”, one major thing was forgotten, more likely ignored: the crew”s mental well-being.
In a world of social media, everyone is an expert, and never has that been felt more in the maritime industry than now. A frenzy of blame erupted almost instantly with little or no merit or fact-checking, as evidenced by the naming of a female officer as the Ever Given's Captain, regardless of the fact she was over 200 miles away on another vessel.
Being a seafarer is a stressful job, irrespective of a global incident, especially when you factor in being away from family for extended periods and working contract to contract with little job security. You also have to cope with fatigue, extreme weather conditions and intense time pressure placed upon the crew and its Master by multiple state and global agencies as well as the ship's own charter. So, add to that taking the “blame” for halting $9.6 billion of trade a day, understandably, stress levels rise astronomically.
As an industry, mental health appears still to be very much a taboo topic. Seafarers are more likely to be signed off and dismissed for being deemed “unfit to serve” than they are to recerve any form of support. Whilst onboard, the mood will feel somewhat supportive with the crew banding together to keep the ship operating, internally, each and every seafarer, from deckhand to Master will be wortying about their reputation and thus, their employability.
I- my experience as a Captain, your crew is your first line II- defence III - any major incident. As soon as something goes awry, they burst IV - action, theyre trained to do so, it's instinctive. I have no doubt, everyone aboard the Ever Given did everything V- their power to protect that ship and avoid a major incident, but some things are VI- your control. In reality, they will never be praised for saving the ship, only criticised for grounding it.
This crew is acutely aware of the issues the incident has caused and they are reminded of It every time they open their phone or computer to read the news or speak to their families, and I feel for every single one of them.
They' re now stuck in an Egyptian lake, further away from their families, without the ability to defend themselves with the threat of civil and criminal charges looming. This downward spiral will undoubtedly be taking its toll on their mental health and in the past, there hasn't been much of a support system in place to help.
Based on my experience offshore, working for a company that provides mental well-being training, and from all of the feedback, Tapit has gamered from its live-streamed mental health awareness courses, seafarers want and need this support. Yet, there's a deep-rooted fear that admitting they“re struggling and asking for help will be the end of their careers.
Of course, the conversation has advanced significantly, however, it's still not where it should be. The harsh reality is, the Ever Given and its crew will be forgotten about in a month or two's time, but this crew is hurting and will continue to struggle with the mental health issues caused by the Incident for years to come.
(Adapted from https://splash247.com>what-the-ev...)
According to Captain Lee Clarke, the seafarer”s occupation is
Based on the text, answer question.
What the Ever Given can tell us about mental health at sea
Captain Lee Clarke from Tapiit Live on one of the overlooked aspects stemming from last month's Suez blockage
Thirty days ago, a ship named Ever Given was sailing in relative anonymity. Twenty-nine days ago, that same ship found itself splashed across the front cover of every national newspaper from London to Lima.
In a matter of hours, the ship and its 25 strong crew went from highly skilled seafarers to media targets. In the maelstrom of social media memes, newspaper cover stories and “special reports”, one major thing was forgotten, more likely ignored: the crew”s mental well-being.
In a world of social media, everyone is an expert, and never has that been felt more in the maritime industry than now. A frenzy of blame erupted almost instantly with little or no merit or fact-checking, as evidenced by the naming of a female officer as the Ever Given's Captain, regardless of the fact she was over 200 miles away on another vessel.
Being a seafarer is a stressful job, irrespective of a global incident, especially when you factor in being away from family for extended periods and working contract to contract with little job security. You also have to cope with fatigue, extreme weather conditions and intense time pressure placed upon the crew and its Master by multiple state and global agencies as well as the ship's own charter. So, add to that taking the “blame” for halting $9.6 billion of trade a day, understandably, stress levels rise astronomically.
As an industry, mental health appears still to be very much a taboo topic. Seafarers are more likely to be signed off and dismissed for being deemed “unfit to serve” than they are to recerve any form of support. Whilst onboard, the mood will feel somewhat supportive with the crew banding together to keep the ship operating, internally, each and every seafarer, from deckhand to Master will be wortying about their reputation and thus, their employability.
I- my experience as a Captain, your crew is your first line II- defence III - any major incident. As soon as something goes awry, they burst IV - action, theyre trained to do so, it's instinctive. I have no doubt, everyone aboard the Ever Given did everything V- their power to protect that ship and avoid a major incident, but some things are VI- your control. In reality, they will never be praised for saving the ship, only criticised for grounding it.
This crew is acutely aware of the issues the incident has caused and they are reminded of It every time they open their phone or computer to read the news or speak to their families, and I feel for every single one of them.
They' re now stuck in an Egyptian lake, further away from their families, without the ability to defend themselves with the threat of civil and criminal charges looming. This downward spiral will undoubtedly be taking its toll on their mental health and in the past, there hasn't been much of a support system in place to help.
Based on my experience offshore, working for a company that provides mental well-being training, and from all of the feedback, Tapit has gamered from its live-streamed mental health awareness courses, seafarers want and need this support. Yet, there's a deep-rooted fear that admitting they“re struggling and asking for help will be the end of their careers.
Of course, the conversation has advanced significantly, however, it's still not where it should be. The harsh reality is, the Ever Given and its crew will be forgotten about in a month or two's time, but this crew is hurting and will continue to struggle with the mental health issues caused by the Incident for years to come.
(Adapted from https://splash247.com>what-the-ev...)
Mark the option that completes the blank spaces, in paragraph six, in the text above.
Read the text below and mark the correct option.
Inland cargo ship ran aground, damaged, may break in two, Western Scheldt
Inland cargo ship MVS SOWNENT loaded with soil ran aground at around 1750 UTC April 14 on Western Scheldt near Baalhoek, Netherlands, while sailing downstream. The ship suffered serious damages, hull is breached, understood to get cracks, but there's no immediate danger of breaking. She was refloated and taken below grounding site, to be offloaded and after that, towed to Hansweert
(Adapted from https://www fleetmon.com/services/vessel- nisk-rating/)
Itis possible to infer from the excerpt that
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?