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Salvors prevent 2.4M tonnes of pollutants in 2024
International Salvage Union has released its latest estimates for pollution prevented in the marine environment from operations by its members in 2024
Salvage companies have prevented pollution from 2.4M tonnes of cargo and fuel from distressed ships during 162 services in 2024, according to the International Salvage Union (ISU).
The figures represent an increase on the calculations of 1.9M tonnes of pollutants prevented from entering the marine environment in 2023, despite there being more emergency towage, salvage and wreck removal operations, at 173, over 2023 by ISU members.
Of the 2.4M tonnes in 2024, 39% were classified as bulk cargo, another 26% were containers, 17% crude oil, 11% oil products and 3% bunkers, with the other 4% being other cargo, including hazardous chemicals.
ISU president John Witte said this data, from a survey of ISU members, demonstrates the environmental protection benefits, as well as safety and loss-prevention advantages, from salvage services globally.
“This survey clearly demonstrates that the threat is real, and the interventions of our members are a vital contribution to environmental protection and to the protection of our clients’ reputations,” he said.
“Sustaining a viable professional salvage industry ready to respond to all kinds of incidents around the world is essential, and that is recognised by insurers and owners but it needs to be properly funded."
While the overall number of salvage and wreck removal cases is on a downward trend, the potential impact of salvage services is increasing, particularly in container ship casualties. This outsized effect is primarily due to larger volumes of fuel arried by the largest ships and the likelihood of an environmental catastrophe when these vessels suffer power or propulsion loss or get into trouble in adverse weather.
"We need to ensure there are professional salvors to tackle marine casualties worldwide ... but not take for granted,” said Mr Witte. “All the maritime industry wants to see a viable salvage industry. Salvors keep ports open and trade flowing. They reduce pollution, save lives and cargo and ship[s].”
The current downward trends in salvage cases is not a given, and each year can see significant variations in the quantity of pollutant spillage prevented. And large vessels have outsized impacts.
The number of containers salvaged in 2024, at around 615,000 tonnes of cargo across about 41,000 TEU, is notably higher than in 2023.
One of the biggest salvage and wreck removal projects in 2024 was undertaken in Baltimore after container ship Dali collided and then collapsed a major road bridge, resulting in months of work for Donjon Marine and Resolve Marine and other subcontractors and US authorities.
Containers carry a great variety of harmful and dangerous goods including plastic pellets (nurdles) now represent one of the biggest threats to the marine environment.
For oil pollution, 400,000 tonnes of crude oil spillages were prevented by ISU members in 2024, compared with 187,200 tonnes in 2023. Dirty and hazardous bulk cargoes in 2024 were up at 923,000 tonnes, from 769,300 tonnes in 2023. Cargoes of refined oil products increased again in 2024, but chemical cargoes dropped significantly.
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