Browsing by Subject "ecological disaster"

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Access status: Open Access ,
Aspekty wyboru miejsc schronienia dla statków potrzebujących pomocy na polskim wybrzeżu
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2011) Górtowska, Marzena
Growing in recent years, human activity at sea, especially in the transport of liquid cargo, may increase the risk of marine pollution. The main cause of oil spills are ships in need of assistance, especially on high seas, where the reduction of the spill and securing the vessel may be difficult due to hydrometeorological factors. In this case, the leakage of petroleum substances may contaminate vast area and threaten the life of representatives of many species of marine flora and fauna. By giving the ship in need of assistance the refuge in the port or another sheltered area the consequences of the spill at open sea can be avoided, and the vessel can be protected in a controlled way. However, the presence of such vessels carries the risk of contamination of the coastal waters, damage to the port facilities or impact on local economical and social factors. For several years international organizations have tended to develop policies and guidelines to assist foundation and management of so-called Places of Refuge. It means places able to stabilize the vessel in a safe manner, avoiding possible ecological disaster. The decision on acceptance or refusal the ship in need of assistance to a place of refuge must be preceded by an analysis of the vessel's condition and suitability of certain place of refuge, especially in terms of current hydrometeorological conditions, the available depth and attainable rescue equipment. The article lists the most important legislation acts concerning the creation of places of refuge in Poland, indicating the key issues and presenting criteria for selection of such places. In particular, the article takes into account the intensity of the vessel traffic in the Polish area of responsibility for search and rescue in terms of number and size of units and also examines the parameters of the Polish ports, availability of the rescue resource and proximity to the ecologically sensitive areas.