PACIFIC SHIPWRECK DATABASE. Australian Maritime Safety Authority

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1 PACIFIC SHIPWRECK DATABASE Australian Maritime Safety Authority Background This paper discusses development of a database on shipwrecks in the Pacific region as an aide to oil spill preparedness and response. The database is being built by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as the first step in a regional strategy to identify and combat risks of oil pollution from old wrecks, primarily dating from the Second World War. The paper discusses the origin and extent of the problem, the development of the strategy and how Australia is considering using the information in its own oil spill planning and response processes. Regional arrangements The South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is a UN regional organisation established by the governments and administrations of the Pacific region to: promote co-operation in the South Pacific region, provide assistance in order to protect and improve its environment and to ensure sustainable development for present and future generations. SPREP s members total 26 countries consisting of all 22 Pacific island countries and territories, and four developed countries with direct interests in the region: Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America. Further information can be found at: The Pacific Ocean Pollution Prevention Programme (PACPOL) is one of the main programs at SPREP and was adopted in 1998 to maintain, protect and enhance the quality of coastal and marine environments in the Pacific islands region by minimising ship-sourced marine pollution. As part of this programme, the Pacific Islands Regional Marine Spill Contingency Plan (PACPLAN) was endorsed by SPREP member countries in PACPLAN provides the framework for co-operative regional responses to major marine spills in the Pacific Islands region. Australian involvement Australia is signatory to a number of conventions and agreements to provide assistance to the region in the event of environmental emergencies, in particular the Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region (the SPREP Convention), with associated Protocols. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority provides assistance to SPREP in a number of marine pollution and IMO related activities, generally by providing technical experts during PACPOL training courses and workshops. In

2 response to a request from SPREP, AMSA s Principal Adviser, Scientific and Environmental acted as Marine Pollution Adviser for SPREP from October 2000 to October The AMSA officer provided on-site assistance within a number of Pacific Island countries primarily based out of Apia, Samoa. He also assisted with the collation of some of the historic shipwreck data for SPREP, spill response advice, wreck assessment techniques and deep sea salvage advice. The Problem In August 2001 a State of Emergency was declared in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) following a significant oil spill from the USS Mississinewa, a sunken WWII US military oil tanker, in the remote and environmentally sensitive atoll known as Ulithi Lagoon. The spill occurred over a two-month period between July and August The Environment Protection Agency and Marine Resources Department of Yap State put an immediate ban on all fishing within the lagoon area, causing hardship for the local population of 700 Islanders.. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia contacted the US for assistance with their environmental emergency. The US Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving responded with a dive team and dive contractors funded by the Chief of Naval Operations. In early September 2001, the teams plugged the leak in tank number 4 with quick setting cement on piping. Other cracks leaking oil were identified in tank 5. These additional leaks were also sealed by divers and around 5,000 gallons of oil trapped in dead spaces on the wreck was pumped to the surface. In early 2003, the climate and water conditions in Ulithi, as well as the position of the USS Mississinewa on the sea floor, were about perfect for the offloading procedure. The operation took place during the off season for tropical storms, dramatically easing the efforts. Additionally, the water condition and shallow water made for excellent underwater visibility. The operation took a total of 4 weeks and cost over US$4.5 million. Over 2 million gallons of oil were recovered from the wreck, believed to be about 95% of the oil on board. After this effort the Mississinewa was said to no longer pose a threat to the people or environment of Ulithi. The ultimate outcome of the exercise, according to the on-scene salvage supervisor, was the elimination of the threat of future oil releases potentially affecting the fauna and flora of the surrounding islands, and, more importantly, the livelihood of Ulithi s inhabitants in this vibrant, sparkling Pacific ecosystem. But what about other vibrant Pacific ecosystems?

3 The SPREP WWII Shipwreck Strategy The oil spills from the USS Mississinewa highlighted the problems of aging and slowly deteriorating WWII shipwrecks. At the request of the member nations, in September 2001 SPREP also was asked to investigate and formulate a regional strategy to address the pollution risk posed by the many World War II shipwrecks across the Pacific, as a number of other countries also had advised of oil spills from sunken wrecks in their waters. A Strategy was developed by SPREP and endorsed at the 13th SPREP Meeting in July The aim of the regional Strategy to Address Marine Pollution from World War II Ship Wrecks is to assess and determine the extent of pollution risk posed by these vessels to the Island nations of the Pacific and their resources. The SPREP Strategy recommends that the implementation of activities to address WWII wrecks be carried out within a comprehensive risk assessment framework and provides guidance on these recommended activities. The strategy recommends a 5-step approach to addressing the issue: Data Collection and analysis Continue with the identification and analysis of wreck sites, wreck depth, access and cargoes/bunkers carried. Generic Risk Assessment To carry out a generic risk assessment to compare the risk levels between sites. All sites will be ranked high, medium and low. Agree on the interventions: - high risk direct (pump-out, salvage); medium risk manage site (contingency plan, restricted access); low risk leave alone and monitor. Site Specific Risk Assessments According to level of risk, specific site assessments will need to be carried out. These would include Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Shoreline Contamination Assessment & Treatment (SCAT), consultations with Coastal, Flag or Sovereign States and logistics assessments. Planning Implementation Drawing up of final implementation plans for interventions including determining responsibility budgets, timing, logistical requirements, environmental and social issues. The 13th SPREP Meeting gave the mandate for the SPREP Secretariat, through PACPOL, to commence with Steps 1-3 of the Strategy, which is currently in progress. The first step was to gather and analyse the necessary data. The type of data collected includes: Historical data on WWII wrecks in the Pacific, from both military and private sources; Mapping of the vessels geographic locations; Collation of vessel details such as type, tonnage and flag of ship;

4 Details of cause of sinking, which is relevant to the possibility of oil remaining within the wreck; EEZ in which the vessel is located; and Identification of sovereignty or ownership of individual wrecks. Numbers of Pacific WWII Wrecks collated to date The database currently lists 3855 vessels, representing over 13.5 million tonnes of shipping. Both military ships and merchant vessels from WWII make up the database. Most of these sunken vessels in the Pacific have been identified as Japanese. The database is still under revision as new data becomes available. This information also has been put into a Geographic Information System so that wrecks can be mapped in relation to jurisdictions and EEZ s. Table 1. Pacific WWII Shipwrecks - Vessel Ownership and Numbers COUNTRY Number Australia 4 Britain 15 France 2 Germany 5 Greece 3 Italy 2 Japan 3195 Netherlands 8 New Zealand 1 Norway 3 Panama 1 Unidentified 355 USA 255 USSR 5 Yugoslavia 1 Total 3855 Intervention Considerations Due to the age and extent of structural damage to sunken WWII vessels, the salvage and re-floating of a vessel would usually be impossible, impractical or unnecessary. The main concern for this strategy is not vessel salvage, but oil cargo removal, securing or other preventive measures with minimum disruption to the vessel, ultimately to avoid marine pollution. A significant number of WWII shipwreck sites are also war graves and sites of historical and archaeological significance. Under the strategy, multilateral agreements and relationships with governments need to be developed to control access to wreck sites, confidential information and any recovered artifacts. The unexploded ordnance that may be associated with wartime wrecks also poses problems with the management and uncontrolled access

5 by divers to these sites. Exact vessel locations are kept confidential because of the sensitivity of this information. Any decision to salvage the remaining oil cargo from any particular WWII shipwreck under the SPREP strategy would be based upon an agreed position with the sovereign country and upon the premise that the eventual environmental impacts and risks posed by the oil and other hazardous cargo outweigh the costs of any mitigation action. Shipwreck Strategy and Vessel Ownership The presence of a shipwreck within a country s EEZ does not transfer its sovereign ownership from the Flag State to the Coastal State where the wreck resides. Any activities carried out to manage the risk from WWII wrecks will need both Flag State and Coastal State consent. There is currently no international legal instrument governing the ownership of sunken warships, however, there is a well-developed body of customary law governing the treatment of sunken warships and military aircraft. Some countries have stated policies on the ownership of wartime shipwrecks, for example the US Government retains custody of its wrecks regardless of their geographic locations through sovereign immunity provisions of admiralty law. Abandonment of US Navy wrecks requires specific Congressional action. Next Steps Future work now under development by SPREP includes risk assessment and commencement of planning for intervention strategies. Following that it is proposed to develop specific assessments of individual sites and appropriate intervention strategies for each case. The last two points are very dependent on funding availability. Shipwrecks in Australian Waters Currently in the database, there are four known Australian-owned war ships in the database of almost 1700 vessels across the Pacific. These are the HMAS Canberra and HMAS Sydney, HMAS Centaur and an unidentified cargo vessel. The position of the Canberra is known in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, but not the exact position of the Sydney off the west coast of Australia. The SPREP strategy outlined above will also provide information on foreign warships sunk in Australian waters. For example, it is known that the United States aircraft carrier USS Lexington was sunk in the Coral Sea near the outer limit of Australia s 200 mile exclusive economic zone in some 2,500 metres of water. Australia s National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances (the National Plan) has been in place since 1973 and provides a national framework for responding promptly and efficiently to marine pollution incidents.

6 The National Plan includes maintenance of: the National Oil and Chemical Marine Spill Contingency Plans, which includes the organisational relationship of various groups involved, both public and private; detailed state, local and industry contingency plans and communications arrangements for mobilising resources and responding to incidents; an adequate level of strategically positioned response equipment, balanced with the risk involved, and programs for its use; and a comprehensive national training program to familiarise government and industry personnel with the requirements involved in planning for and responding to spilled marine pollutants, including conducting regular exercises. The effectiveness of the National Plan is regularly assessed against risk and adjustments made in terms of equipment, logistics and training to reflect changes in risk patterns. Information on wrecks in Australian waters that becomes available during the SPREP Strategy will become part of the ongoing risk assessment process. Importantly, the location of known wrecks will be built into the Oil Spill Response Atlas. Not only will this information allow for planning against the contingency of a wreck releasing oil, it also will help to explain or identify some reports of mystery oil spills.