IMPACT OF CARGO SHIPS ON MARINE LIFE
Trade has been one of the most important activities that the world has embraced for many years. Today, an individual in the United States of America can buy from or sell goods to an individual in the furthest point of the world. Then the development of E-commerce is a great idea to the world of business but it could not be made possible without the means of transport to move goods from one area to another. The world has adopted the use of intermodal transport system to ensure that goods are delivered from one continent to another continent. Intermodal transport is a system of transportation that allows the movement of goods from the seller to the buyer through the use of different means of transport. In most cases, the intermodal transport system is used to transport goods over long distances which makes it necessary to use transport means such as ships, planes, and trains. The use of intermodal transport over long distances has been made possible through two main transport vessels which are the planes and cargo ships. When the goods transported are heavy, the transporters prefer to use the cargo ships since planes cannot handle a given weight of goods that need to be transported from one place to another. The use of ships is the common method of transporting heavy goods from one continent to another. As the ships cruise through the sea, they have various effects on marine life which include physical effects, discharges to water bodies, and air emissions negatively affect marine life.
As the cargo ships cruise in the oceans and sea, they cause physical damage to marine life. As the ships move, they produce noise pollution which disrupts the marine ecosystem. The cargo ships are operated through big machines so that they can move which produces a lot of sounds. As they produce the sound, they pollute the environment by causing harm to some of the marine life. Various marine life species have different sensitivity when it comes to sound. Species like dolphins and whales have demonstrated higher resistance to the increased sound pollution but the soft tissue marine life such as prawns, mollusks, and fish cannot resist sound pollution. A research work done by Smith and published on MarineInsight indicated that at least twenty four species of marine life were negatively affected by sound pollution. An increase in sound pollution in oceans forced certain species such as fish, mollusks, and pawns to migrate to new areas that were far from the sea routes. Migration to new areas that were free from sound pollution endangered the life of the species since the areas lacked enough foods to ensure the continuity of the species. The new areas of migration also experienced a lack of enough mating mates which increased the chances of extinction of a given marine life species. Also, the research identified that exposure to sound pollution while in the embryonic period led to high mortality is reducing the number of marine life species.
Another physical damage caused to marine life by the cargo ships is the damage of life by the propellers. As the propellers rotate to push the cargo ship forward, they may physically hurt the marine life that is close to them by slicing them as they rotate. Also, a study conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Chepasieke Bay indicated that an increase of Copepods in the oceans disrupted the marine food chain which threatened the continuity of Marine Life.
As the cargo ships cruise through the oceans, they go discharging effluents that largely threaten marine life. The most common discharge from the cargo ships that affect marine life is oil spills. The cargo ships use a lot of oil to sail through the ocean which at times spills into the ocean. Most causes of oil spills in the oceans are faulty engines or poor repair works done by the ship’s engine. Once the oil spills into the ocean, it does not mix with the ocean water and it floats. While floating, it prevents air from penetrating the water and also does not allow the carbon dioxide released by the marine life to exit the water. The floating oil prevents marine life from accessing the oxygen which is essential for their survival. Once the marine life does not get sufficient oxygen while they have plenty of carbon dioxide the marine life is likely to suffocate if they do not migrate to new areas. Apart from reducing the oxygen levels in the water, oil spills have other advanced effects on marine life. The oil spills destroy the insulating ability of the sea mammals such as sea otters which are fur-bearing. Once the insulation ability of the sea mammals is destroyed by the oil spills, they are exposed to harsh conditions in the sea which leads to their death after continued exposure to unfavorable conditions. The large marine life like whales and dolphins tend to inhale the oil spills which have advance effects on their body. Once inhaled, the soil spills affect the lungs’ reproduction and the immunity of the dolphins and whales. Exposure of adult fish on the oils causes an increase in the heartbeat rates, enlargement of the liver, and also reduces the reproduction rates. When fish is exposed to the oil spills for a long tie, it becomes unhealthy for human consumption.
Discharge to water such as raw sewage and greywater also threatens marine life through pollution. Increased discharge of grew water and raw sewage into the sea threatens marine life due to the contents of the discharge. The greywater and sewage contain chemicals and metals such as aluminum. The greywater is the water that is released into the sea after it has been used from laundry and also from the kitchen. Such water is dangerous for marine life since it is not safe to support the existence of marine. Sewage from the toilets of the ship and also the medical treatment facilities is rich in algae and bacteria. Exposure of the marine life to algae and bacteria which affects the existence of marine life. As the algae get introduced into the ocean by the sewage discharge into the sea, the algae grow while other plants in the sea die. Once the sea plants die, the bacteria introduced in the sea are used to decompose them and increases the number of bacteria in the ocean which then uses most of the oxygen in the water creating a shortage. The shortage of oxygen created by the increased bacteria in the ocean makes it hard for other marine life to survive leading to marine life destruction.
Lastly, the cargo ships affect marine life through air emissions while they sail through the oceans. Burning fossil fuel is the leading cause of global warming in the entire world. Being huge and heavy machines, the cargo ships burn a lot of fossil fuel as they move through the ocean while transporting goods from one port to another. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, monoxide, and chemical gases into the atmosphere which are responsible for the corrosion of the ozone layer. The toxic air in the atmosphere causes an increase in the rate of acidic rain which contaminates the ocean water. Once the ocean water is contaminated by the acidic rain, it makes it hard for marine life to survive in an environment that is acidic. Also, the presence of toxic gases in the atmosphere threatens the marine life when they get dissolved in water and the marine life consumes the water. Chemical gases that dissolve in have a negative effect on the gaseous exchange surfaces of marine life, which reduces their life-span.
In conclusion, the cargo ships have made it easy to move heavy goods over large distances through the water medium. As the ships help traders to ease the logistics involved in transporting heavy commodities over long distances, the ships on the other hand hurt the marine life. The cargo ships have been found to hurt marine life through three different physical ways, water discharge, and air pollution. Then cargo ships hurt and disrupt the marine life ecosystem through sound pollution. Increased sound pollution in the sea affects marine life such as fish which have soft tissues. The increased sound capability destroys the hearing capability of the fish. Another physical effect of a cargo ship is the destruction of marine life through slicing by the propellers. While pushing the ship forward, the propellers easily slice the marine and kill it once they get into contact. The discharge of sewage and grey water introduce chemicals and metals that are dangerous to the survival of marine life. The sewage introduces algae and bacteria; algae grows and causes the death of other plants. Once they die, the bacteria decompose them and increases the number of bacteria in water. The increased bacteria in water creates a shortage of oxygen in the water which makes it hard for the aquatic life to exist. The emission of carbon dioxide, methane, and chemical gases as a result of fossil fuel combustion leads to acidic which contaminates the seawater. The aquatic life cannot exist in acidic conditions.
