World War II wrecks pose a threat

Listen to this article Wrecks sunk during the Second World War are once again posing a threat. This time as ecological bombs with a delayed ignition. As it turns out, there is a risk of an oil spill, comparable to the one that occurred off the coast of Alaska in 1989. At that time, 11-35

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: April 28, 2011 - 09:15

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 07:30

Listen to this article

Wrecks sunk during the Second World War are once again posing a threat. This time as ecological bombs with a delayed ignition. As it turns out, there is a risk of an oil spill, comparable to the one that occurred off the coast of Alaska in 1989. At that time, 11-35 million gallons of crude leaked into the coastal waters after the Exxon Valdez tanker was damaged. As a result, a stretch of coastline about 1 900 km long was contaminated

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Scientists from the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, are convinced that some 1,080 World War II wrecks lie on the bottom of the Pacific, including several tankers sunk with their cargo, untouched for more than 60 years.

One of many oil tankers, sunk to the bottom of the Chuuka lagoon (Micronesia), releases streams of purple oil bubbles. During such a spill on 31 July 2008, an oil slick formed, covering an area of 5km.

A leading expert on corrosion forming in water says it is only a matter of the next few years for a deadly load of crude oil to be released from sunken vessels. The consequences are expected to be comparable to those that hit the Gulf of Mexico last year after the BP oil rig disaster.

Source: www.xray-mag.com

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.