Project Tangaroa/Lloyds polluting shipwrecks

 Project Tangaroa, led by Lloyd’s Register Foundation in partnership with The Ocean Foundation and Waves Group, is a global initiative tackling the environmental threat posed by Potentially Polluting Wrecks (PPWs)—sunken ships that still contain oil, munitions, or hazardous chemicals, many dating back to the World Wars.

🌊 The Scale of the Problem

  • Over 8,000 shipwrecks worldwide are considered PPWs.

  • These wrecks may contain up to 20 million tonnes of oil—that’s 500× more than the Exxon Valdez spill.

  • Many are deteriorating due to climate change, port development, and ocean industrialisation, increasing the risk of catastrophic leaks.

🛠 What Tangaroa Does

  • Maps and assesses wrecks globally to prioritize risk.

  • Develops technical standards and a technology roadmap for safe salvage.

  • Builds a coalition of experts to influence international policy and funding.

  • Balances environmental protection with cultural heritage, as some wrecks are war graves or artificial reefs.

🌐 Strategic Relevance

  • Supports the UN Decade of Ocean Science and High Seas Treaty.

  • Partners with ICOMOS and IUCN to ensure cultural and ecological values are respected.

  • Advocates for proactive intervention—as Mark Spalding of The Ocean Foundation notes, “It is far less expensive to prevent pollution than to rebuild coastal industries and ecosystems”.

Project Tangaroa officially launched in 2023, spearheaded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, The Ocean Foundation, and Waves Group. Its goal is to develop a global framework for assessing and mitigating the threat of Potentially Polluting Wrecks (PPWs)—sunken ships that still contain oil, munitions, or hazardous chemicals, mostly from the World Wars.

🔥 10 Notorious PPWs (Based on Risk, Notoriety, or Ongoing Action)

While there’s no official “top 10” list, these wrecks are frequently cited in expert assessments and international reports:

  1. USS Mississinewa (Micronesia) – WWII oil tanker; successfully hot-tapped and drained in 2003.

  2. HMS Royal Oak (Scapa Flow, UK) – Leaked oil for decades; oil removed in 2001–2003.

  3. RMS Republic (off Nantucket, USA) – Contains oil and rumored treasure; high salvage interest.

  4. SS Jacob Luckenbach (California, USA) – Leaked oil for years before being identified and drained in 2002.

  5. SS Montebello (California, USA) – WWII tanker; oil still onboard, but considered stable.

  6. SS Richard Montgomery (Thames Estuary, UK) – Holds 1,400 tonnes of explosives; not leaking oil, but a major hazard.

  7. HMS Cassandra (Estonia) – Surveyed in 2024–25 by UK MOD and Waves Group under Project Tangaroa.

  8. Chuuk Lagoon wrecks (Micronesia) – Dozens of Japanese WWII ships; many leaking oil and munitions.

  9. SS Sansinena (Los Angeles, USA) – Exploded in 1976; wreckage still poses localized risk.

  10. SS John Barry (Arabian Sea) – WWII Liberty ship; oil and silver cargo, under periodic review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UNMAS 2025 Landmine report letter on 48k or 3k deaths

  UNMAS & Geneva/New York Contacts Agnes Marcaillou – Former Director, UNMAS Email : marcaillou@un.org François-Xavier De Cloedt – Programme Officer, UNMAS Geneva Email : decloedt@un.org Mohammed Qazilbash – Chief of Programme, UNMAS Email : qazilbash@un.org Camille Gosselin – Public Information Officer, UNMAS Email : gosselin@un.org To: United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS)     Subject: Clarification and Escalation on Explosive Weapon Casualty Reporting, Treaty Enforcement, and Regional Accountability Dear Agnes and UNMAS team, I write to express concern regarding the framing and statistical aggregation in the Secretary-General’s 2025 report on mine action , particularly the cited figure of 48,384 conflict-related deaths attributed to “explosive weapons.” This figure, while alarming, appears to conflate landmines , UXO , cluster munitions , IEDs , artillery , and air-dropped ordnance — without disaggregating by weapon type, treaty coverage, or operation...
Read more

Policy #5: Development not Over-Development

As MP I will halt the development boom of Concrete Kent in Thanet. We are overbuilding far beyond South East targets as mere property speculation for the construction industry. I will insist construction is refocused on renovating both public housing and empty properties: over 3,000 empty properties in Thanet - for years - before one brick is laid on new build. The idea of a 4th Town at Westwood Cross should also be ripped up as property and Planning overkill given vacant properties, an ageing population and a failed economy. And on prime farmland when Climate Change is a major issue and Food Security in preserving our farmland to reduce food imports. And of course major derelict brownfield sites such as Manston airport, Richboro: derelict longer than in operation, and many more. Councils are notorious for being focused on property and construction where the main parties get their kickbacks for handing out Planning permissions. Far greater scrutiny of the Planning system is required. A...
Read more

The Open Stockpile: Noise Psyops, Torture Tech, and the Hillsboro law

  The Open Stockpile: Noise Psyops, Torture Tech, and the Hillsboro law The cupboard is open. From white phosphorus to water cannons, from cluster munitions to long-range acoustic devices (LRADs), the global stockpile of “non-lethal” and “compliance” weapons is no longer hidden. It’s deployed—on streets, in prisons, at borders, and in black sites. And the legal frameworks that should constrain them? Often vague, complicit, or absent. Noise as Weapon: Psyops and Torture Noise isn’t neutral. From Guantánamo to Gaza, sound has been weaponised to break bodies and minds. The U.S. military’s use of Metallica, Eminem, and Barney the Dinosaur in 24-hour loops wasn’t entertainment—it was psychological warfare. LRADs, marketed as “crowd control,” emit piercing tones that induce nausea, disorientation, and long-term hearing damage. These are not anomalies—they’re doctrine. The UN Convention Against Torture prohibits methods that cause severe physical or mental suffering. Yet “no-touch” tortur...
Read more