The Ocean is a Dump

How does this affect the ocean?

  • Think of the ocean as a bowl
  • Remember that the objects in these containers degrade and chemically affect the ocean
  • What does this mean for economics of goods?
  • Why are they not responsible for retrieving their lost goods?
  • Who ultimately pays for the loss?
  • Who is ultimately affected by these events?


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5 thoughts on “The Ocean is a Dump

  1. This will start a dispute between company owners and the EPA about water safety. The company is losing goods and money. The animals in the ocean are now subject to pollution and may be in danger depending on the chemicals/packaging in the products. There is no requirement to report lost containers to anyone, so the pollution is building up and there is no way to determine exactly how much pollution is spread throughout the ocean. They might crack down and make laws on correct measurements of cargo and take precautions to keep cargo on board.

  2. Cargo ships travel through the ocean every day. The regulations have to be changed because shipping crates have been lost while traveling to and from their destination. The amount of money that was put into shipping the items and the times it to is not equal to the cost of the goods, not including the ones that were lost. The companies are not liable to tell the International Maritime Organization, so there is not an accurate count of the loss of shipping containers. This could exempt them from retrieving the containers after they are knocked off of the ship and sink to the bottom of the ocean. The shipping companies inconsiderate actions with their cargo is a hazard to other boats and the environment. Because of the break down of inorganic materials in the ocean causes chemicals to be released; these chemicals can be very dangerous for the marine animals that live in close proximity to the submerged shipping containers. The environment is at yet another loss because of the careless actions of man.

  3. When such an incident happens the cargo companies are loosing product which in turn looses them money.
    Companies who are in charge of delivering these good are not by law required to tell anyone that the amount of cargo they have lost during an incident. This can cause serious problems to the increase of pollution in the ocean.
    Loosing a large number of these crates into the ocean can be very dangerous to the animals, and other shipowners.

  4. With over 500 containers sent plummeting into the ocean from just one single cargo ship, both the environment and economy will be greatly affected. Depending on the products in the containers, different chemicals may be released from the degrading products. All of these chemicals then end up in the ocean, causing harm to it. The plastic containers/crates that these products were kept in could also create a threat to marine life. Vero Marine, a New Zealand Marine Insurer claims a 20-foot container can float for two months, so then after two months the plastic container will sink to the bottom of the ocean creating a hazard for the marine life and habitats surrounding it? Along with affecting the environment, these cargo ship failures also affect the economy. After MSC Napoli pushed the cargo ship weight limits causing severe hull failure, $200 million was spent on rescue and cargo costs. That $200 million could have been spent on more products to be shipped (a boost for the economy), rather than on an attempt to erase the mess that was created. It is not required for companies to reveal just how many containers were lost to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), so no one really knows. The IMO most likely does not want to take responsibility for the issue, therefor pushes it on to the shipping companies. I believe that the IMO should set specific standards and consequences for when these standards are broken. Ultimately, the companies pay for the loss, because it is their products that are lost/damaged, and both the consumers and marine life are affected by the loss, because the companies may not be able to keep up with the pace of “Supply and Demand”, and plastic containers are taking over the marine life’s habitat.

  5. Wow over 500 cargo ship containers are in the ocean! Thats crazy to me because all the chemicals that are now polluting the ocean and all the marine life. I guarantee a lot of fish have died or are dying right now at the time! Its very sad because we do not know what type of chemicals is spreading in the ocean! Also, how much is spreading. The chemicals that got lost are also hurting the company significantly. I hope they consider making laws or cutting down on the amount of cargo that ships can carry so that they know how much they lost if something like this happens again!

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