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KUWAIT’S
marine environment is under threat haunted by two Iraqi oil tankers
sunk during the 1991 Iraqi incursion into Kuwait. John Curley, the
former Salvage Director with UNDP who has 26 years of experience in
conducting salvage missions in international waters, revealed this to
the Arab Times in an exclusive interview from New York. The wrecks have
begun to show decay with new cracks emerging on the hulls of both ships,
hinting at another major leak in the offing. Outlining the history of
the wrecks, Curley said two Iraqi oil tankers of 30,000 DWT were sunk
offshore Kuwait in the vicinity of what is now the New Mubarak Port
currently under construction. The tankers, named Ain Zalah and Ramaila,
had spilled most of their crude into the waterways of Kuwait causing
severe damage to marine life and biodiversity back then. Years of wear
and strong daily tidal flow have led to high chances of the tankers
leaking dangerous emulsion any time again.
Curley backs his claim with the findings
of IAEA/UN which says that the ongoing detrimental effect on the fish
stocks in the area and the overall environment, especially the coastal
area is highly sensitive. According to four major surveys costing nearly
$ 2 million, the wrecks pose imminent threat on several fronts,
including: negative environmental impact due to continual seeping of
emulsion and crude into the waterways; the presence of unexploded
ordinance on board both tankers, including one 500 lb bomb on board the
Ain Zalah; and security and navigation risk with the expected increase
of inbound and outbound shipping traffic after the Mubarak ports becomes
fully operational. Over the past 20 years, organizations such as the
Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment
(ROPME) with its HQ in Kuwait, the International Maritime Organization
(IMO), the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA), the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of
Defence (UKMOD) among others have voiced concerns on these issues.
The surveys were conducted in 1995,
1998, 2003/4 and 2010. The last one evidenced major decay, as over time
new cracks have opened in both the ships’ hulls. This is a clear sign
that the wrecks are starting to break up with the risk of another major
slick of the remaining fuel and lubricants that at present are held in
place by tons of mud. Curley is concerned because despite ROPME’s
insistence on the urgency for the wreck removal, the salvage operation
has not received the green light from the concerned authorities.
“Investigations have indicated that all the necessary expertise is
available to ROPME. Whatever the reasons for the delay, is it not the
responsibility of the Kuwaiti authorities concerned to ensure the long
term prospects of its own natural maritime resource? Surely the removal
of two large wrecks posing substantial risk should be acknowledged and
operations to clean up the area should start immediately.”
Curley also sheds light on what he
thinks complicates the salvage efforts. The tankers were sunk in 1991 by
the UN forces in Iraqi waters, but now the border line between Kuwait
and Iraq has been moved by the UN. The wrecks now lie in Kuwaiti
territorial waters. Under normal circumstances, the ship owners request
the state where the wrecks are to action the salvage operation as soon
as possible to minimize the risk to environment. The insurance company
or the owner, in this the Iraqi government, would bear the cost.
However, Iraq was slapped with sanctions immediately after the war and
the hostile attitude of the Iraqi government to international laws
severely crippled the chances of a salvage operation.
Since 2003, Iraq has confused all
parties by selling the salvage rights to Iraqi companies who have little
or no experience in salvage operations. Iraq also harbors negative
feelings about the new port in Kuwait built near the wrecks which
further discourages them from having any concern for the Kuwaiti
environment. “It feels that they are just playing with this matter with
no concern whatsoever, instead of acknowledging all the survey reports
completed by UNDP, IMO, IAEA, UK, USA and ROPME.” More importantly, for
the past 25 years Iraq and Kuwait haven’t been the best of neighbors.
With Iraq having its own environmental problems to tackle, it was not in
any big rush to clear the coastline of Kuwait, especially now that the
wrecks lay in Kuwaiti waters.
In Curley’s opinion, it would be best
for Kuwait to give ROPME the nod for the salvage operation and fund it,
and later claim the costs against Iraq via the UN compensation
committee. “Otherwise, Kuwait runs the risk of the wrecks breaking and
causing another huge environmental disaster requiring clean-up costing
several times more. This case, Curley notes, is unique in his 26 years
of international salvaging experience. “No state wants this kind of
rubbish and pollution in their waters.” Curley was the Salvage Director
for all the surveys of the wrecks done for the UN, IMO, ROPME, Japanese
reconstruction NK and the British government.
Post to be found at:
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/201399/reftab/36/t/Oil-tanker-wrecks-threaten-marine-environ/Default.aspx
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