Environmental Risks of Sunken Munitions and Polluting Shipwrecks – Insights from the project Tangaroa funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a charitable organization committed to enhancing maritime safety, sustainability, and technical competence worldwide. One of its research priorities is addressing the long-term environmental and societal hazards posed by sunken shipwrecks still containing fuel and other hazardous materials, often referred to as potentially polluting wrecks (PPWs).
Many of these wrecks date back to the World Wars. In addition to fuel many of them still contain unexploded ordnance or chemical warfare agents. Over decades, structural corrosion and environmental stress can compromise their integrity, potentially releasing toxic substances into the marine environment. Such releases pose direct risks to marine organisms, fisheries, coastal ecosystems, and human communities.
To tackle this issue, the Project Tangaroa, teams up with REMARCO, bringing together multidisciplinary experts—including marine scientists, toxicologists, archaeologists, and remediation specialists—to systematically identify, assess, and manage wrecks containing munitions and other hazardous chemicals.
For more information, head over to the Lloyd’s Register Foundation website. And don’t miss their report “Potentially Polluting Wrecks: Protecting People and Planet,” which provides an in-depth look at the challenges and current state of shipwreck-related pollution