Read more at The Guardian

Here’s a summary of the article about widespread and under-reported oil slicks from ships:

• Massive Under-Reporting: Only 474 out of over 90,000 ship-originated oil slicks globally were reported to authorities between 2014 and 2019, with very few resulting in punishment.
• All Visible Slicks are Illegal: New research confirms that all oil slicks visible by satellite are illegal, exceeding pollution limits by at least three orders of magnitude.
• Primary Source: Bilge Dumping: Many slicks result from ships deliberately discharging oily bilge water (accumulated liquids from engine rooms) to maintain stability, often bypassing onboard treatment systems or due to broken equipment.
• Economic Incentive for Illegal Dumping: Discharging bilge water at sea is cheaper and faster than off-loading it at port for proper treatment, driven by commercial pressures and high port fees.
• Scale of Pollution: Satellite image analysis (2014-2019) found 90,411 ship-originated slicks, covering an area roughly the size of Italy, concentrated along shipping routes. This compares to only 2% from oil platforms and 6% from natural seeps.
• Environmental Harm: All visible oil slicks are considered harmful, even in trace quantities, as they damage planktonic organisms, which form the base of the marine food web. The cumulative effect of increasing ship traffic and slicks is significant.
• Weak Enforcement: Enforcement of international regulations (Marpol) is severely lacking due to prohibitive time and expense of legal action against shipping companies, and insufficient port inspections.
• European Example: In European waters, despite stricter laws and satellite monitoring, only a fraction of detected spills are confirmed as pollution (7%), and few lead to prosecutions.
• Call for Action: Experts advocate for stronger limits on global plastic production and an end to fossil fuel addiction, arguing that it would also halt severe oil spills and protect marine ecosystems.