Monday 19 November 2018
Oil is toxic to marine life. It smothers wildlife and damages habitats such as mangroves, seagrasses, corals, rock outcrops, and beaches.
Oil on vessels-such as fuel and lubricants-can contaminate other wastes like bilge water and rags used for cleaning. While oil spills from accidents involving very large ships often gain public attention, a lot of oil enters the marine environment from day-to-day operations, small leaks, poor maintenance or deliberate dumping.
You can help minimise the possibility of oil leaks from your operation by:
- Disposing of used oil, oily rags and filters at appropriate oil recycling facilities.
- Taking care when refuelling and where possible refuelling on land rather than over water.
- Keeping a small kit of absorbent material on board to clean up any waste oil in the bilge or accidental spills.
- Cleaning and servicing your vessel's engine regularly and repairing oil and fuel leaks promptly.
Read more about protecting the marine environment.
