Kosi Latu knows the issue of oil pollution caused by sunken World War II wrecks in the Pacific Ocean has long been regarded “as a problem, as a challenge”, but he is determined to change the narrative.
There are more than 3,700 World War II wrecks registered globally, with the most vulnerable locations in the Pacific Region.
Marine pollution is widely recognised as one of the four major threats to the world’s oceans, alongside climate change, habitat destruction and over-exploitation of living marine resources.
A remediation programme to protect island ecosystems from damage was launched on board a refurbished New Zealand Navy vessel, MV Ocean Recovery, in Newcastle Harbour last week.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between Major Projects Foundation, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the University of Newcastle.
SPREP’s director general, Mr Latu, says the issue of marine pollution is not new.
“It is a very complicated issue because of political components, financial elements, and most of these sunken warships are either Japanese or American,” he says.
“So, while our interest is in looking up the implications on the environment, we’re very aware that some of these sites are sites where we want to maintain the sanctity of their cultural value, but some are also war graves.”
Despite the challenges, Mr Latu believes it is the right time to act.
He added the issue of oil pollution was raised with member countries back in the early-to-late 1990s.
A database created at the time told them how many ships were there, but they could not take it any further.
“When we’re talking about the marine environment, we’re talking about an ocean that is over [60] million square [miles] – it is the biggest ocean, it’s bigger than the moon,” he says.
“We want to say to Pacific island countries: ‘Yes, it is a challenge, it is a problem, but, through this partnership, we really think that we can provide some of the solutions.’
“It starts with verifying and validating data.”
The programme aims to identify wrecks that pose the biggest risk of an oil spill, so that sub-engineers and bioremediation experts can then look at possible techniques to prevent it.
These include hot-tapping to pump out the oil directly from the tanks; cathodic protection of the ship’s hull to stop it from rusting further and to stimulate marine growth on the wreck; and using bacteria known to eat and breakdown oil – a process known as bioremediation.
Teams will use the MV Ocean Recovery vessel to explore priority shipwrecks.
Built in 1979, it was purchased by Hunter-based philanthropists, Paul and Wilma Adams, who started the non-profit Major Projects Foundation last July to help investigate damage caused by oil to coastal or sea life and coral reefs in our oceans.
Mr Adams says it is a matter of urgency.
“A few years ago, on a diving trip, we noticed oil leaking slowly from a number of wrecks,” he says.
“Nearby communities are deeply worried about large amounts of oil spilling out when the wrecks collapse completely.
“There are only a few years left before rust takes its toll.”
MV Ocean Recovery will remain in Newcastle Harbour for the next month and then conduct training and research work off the Australian coast.
She will then be berthed at the Maritime Museum in Sydney for a few weeks of publicity work, before being assigned to priority wrecks in the Pacific.
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