Environmental Risk Assessment of WWII Shipwreck Pollution

The pollution of the sea is a global problem that has arisen as a consequence of the industrialization of the world and the intensified shipment of crude oil and the products of its refinement. As sailing vessels were replaced by motor propelled ships towards the end of the nineteenth century, a new source of sea water pollution came into being. Every emergency involving a tanker carrying crude oil and its products is a potential source of pollution, not only of the sea water but also of shorelines. An important though little understood problem is the seepage of bunker fuel or cargoes from sunken ships, many of which went to the bottom as a result of hostilities at sea during the two World Wars. Among these wrecks are vessels that still contain fuel or other dangerous substances in their tanks/holds. Most wrecks that have lain on the seabed for more than 60 years succumb to corrosion, so there is a considerable likelihood of petroleum products seeping out of many of them.