Safe removal of wrecks imperative, says report

Shipwrecks in Iraqi territorial waters could pose an environmental hazard if not removed with precise care, a preliminary survey carried out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other organisations has revealed. "Marine pollution is no respecter of borders; it is in the interest of all the Gulf countries that these vessels are removed in the most environmentally sound manner possible. We hope that the international community will be generous in support of this endeavour," Michel Gautier, UNDP's infrastructure manager for Iraq, told IRIN from the Jordanian capital, Amman. Some 282 wrecks have been identified in Iraqi waters. But there are thought to be many more not identified both in the country's waters and in neighbouring countries territorial waters. The vessels, sunken during conflicts over the past 12 years or so and the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980s - vary from tugs to huge oil tankers. This has impeded access to Iraq’s two major deep-water ports of Um Qasr and Az Zubair, both in the south of the country. "A fully functional port is crucial in reconstructing Iraq. Road transportation is costly and dangerous; many millions of dollars are wasted each year using roads rather than the ports," Gautier added. Um Qasr port, the country's main facility, was closed temporarily last year during the recent conflict, but reopened soon after with a new updated section, which is in main use. However, with a capacity to deal with half a million mt per month before the recent war, the port is only able to deal with some 300,000 mt per month at present due to continuing reconstruction work. There is an average of 300 trucks passing through the port daily and is a key part of the country's southern reconstruction lifeline. Over the past year, UNDP has been involved in a series of projects opening safe access channels to the ports through dredging to salvage and remove shipwrecks to permit more efficient delivery of humanitarian relief and material for large-scale reconstruction work. Some UN agencies are working on a background study to determine how much aid delivery has been affected by shipwrecks and restraints at the port. But there are major concerns over the hazards of raising the sunken vessels, as they may contain a range of pollutants including metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons as well as various munitions and unexploded ordnance (UXOs). Unless careful measures are taken, their removal could pose a serious threat not only to human life but also impact on the national and regional marine and coastal environment, according to UNDP. The comprehensive technical survey of 40 sunken vessels and environmental hazards was carried out at the start of 2004 by UNDP, the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME). Significant quantities of ordnance and explosive devices as well as sunken ammunition cargoes are known to exist in the waters. Fast vessels with sea-to-sea and sea-to-air missiles are sitting on seabeds alongside cargo wrecks, the report added. The cost of removing each vessel depends on the size. The UN agency estimates from US $1 million per vessel up to $8 million. Costs of removal will be presented to donors in packages of up to $30 million, UNDP Iraq officials said.